
AARP: 4 foods that can trigger migraines
UC experts provide tips on managing diet to avoid painful headaches
The American Migraine Foundation says that 39 million Americans suffer from migraines. AARP published a story on foods that trigger migraines and the article cited Vincent Martin, MD, director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute who says that up to 50% of people who get migraines report having a food trigger. Although food triggers can vary from person to person, Martin says, there are a few usual suspects that can bring on these headaches from hell.
Vincent Martin, MD, professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the UC College of Medicine, director of the Headache and Facial Pain Center at the UC Gardner Neuroscience Institute/Photo/Colleen Kelley/UC Marketing + Brand
Martin tells AARP that when it comes to headaches, "caffeine is a two-edged sword."
If you have a bad migraine, a stiff cup of coffee or other caffeinated beverage may actually help your headache. In fact, many over-the-counter analgesic medications, such as Excedrin, contain caffeine along with the pain-relieving ingredient.
On the other hand, if you consume caffeine on a daily basis, your brain becomes acclimated to that dose, Martin says. “Studies have shown that if you normally drink two cups of coffee per day, and on one day, you drink four or five cups of coffee, then you’re more likely to have a migraine,” he says.
About 29 to 36% of people who suffer from migraines say alcoholic beverages bring on their headaches. But not every vintage, brew or spirit is the problem. “It probably depends on what kind of alcoholic beverage you’re talking about,” Martin says. One study showed that red wine was far more likely to lead to a migraine than vodka.
AARP also reports other data shows that alcohol is more likely to be a trigger if it is consumed during a time of stress. Plus, dehydration could be a contributing factor, says Hope O’Brien, MD, an adjunct professor of neurology at the UC College of Medicine.
“Wine tends to be a diuretic,” O’Brien says, “and we know that dehydration is a migraine trigger.”
Next Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is classified as a Research 1 institution by the Carnegie Commission and is ranked in the National Science Foundation's Top-35 public research universities. UC's graduate students and faculty investigate problems and innovate solutions with real-world impact. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Nurses face violence on the job
July 17, 2025

Gordon L. Gillespie, PhD, DNP, adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, and chief program officer for the National League for Nursing, spoke with Medscape for a story about violence against nurses in the workplace.
UC lab using $2.6M grant to study type of heart disease linked to diabetes
July 17, 2025
A University of Cincinnati College of Medicine researcher has been awarded a $2.6 million federal grant to study a potentially deadly form of heart disease that affects people with diabetes called diabetic cardiomyopathy.
Two local families host special blood drives
July 17, 2025
Two Tristate families are turning personal journeys into community impact by hosting specialty blood drives in honor of their children this July.
Champions of progress and opportunity
July 16, 2025
Tom met his wife, Pam Mischell, DAAP ‘71, as a University of Cincinnati student. When a date canceled his plans to go to a concert, he asked a Phi Kappa Theta fraternity brother to help him find a new date.
Cleveland agrees to pay $7.9M to estate of wrongfully convicted Ohioan
July 16, 2025

City officials in Cleveland have agreed to pay $7.9 million to settle a lawsuit filed by the estate of Isaiah Andrews, an exoneree of the Ohio Innocence Project at UC Law. Andrews, a man who served one of the longest prison sentences in history, gained his freedom in 2020 thanks to OIP's work.
New drug could treat muscle spasticity in MS by boosting the body’s own processes
July 16, 2025
The University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute is a trial site for a new clinical trial testing an oral drug to enhance naturally occurring molecules in the body that help muscles relax as a treatment for spasticity in patients with MS.
Engineering graduate drafted by San Diego Padres
July 16, 2025

The Cincinnati Enquirer highlighted University of Cincinnati engineering graduate Kerrington Cross's journey to the major leagues. Waiting alongside hundreds of other baseball hopefuls, Kerrington Cross heard his name called on July 14. With the 220th overall pick in the Major League Baseball Draft, Cross is headed to the San Diego Padres.
UC graduate earns Fulbright to teach, bridge cultures in rural Taiwan
July 15, 2025
Starting in August, University of Cincinnati graduate Perry Li will serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan. He will work with students while acting as a cultural ambassador for the United States.
Don’t fall for these seven myths of research
July 14, 2025
A new publication by two University of Cincinnati researchers contends that adjusting how researchers approach their statistical analysis has the potential to change the lives of children and adolescents struggling with mental health issues across the world. Jeffrey Mills, PhD, and Jeffrey Strawn, MD, have been collaborating on interdisciplinary research and data analysis for years. Their latest paper, “Myths of Randomized Controlled Trial Analysis in Pediatric Psychopharmacology,” was selected as an Editor’s Pick for the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.
Study finds pregnancy risks higher with ART in kidney transplant recipients
July 14, 2025
The odds of complications during pregnancy may be increased among women with kidney transplants conceiving through assisted reproductive technology (ART), according to a recent study led by the University of Cincinnati's Silvi Shah, MD, and published in Transplantation.