More research on vitamin D and migraine

November 6, 2023

There is growing evidence that vitamin D is important in the development and treatment of migraines. In the past 15 years, I have written a dozen posts on the role of vitamin D in migraines.

At the last meeting of the International Headache Society, Maria Papasavva and her Greek colleagues presented a study entitled, Genetic variability in vitamin D receptor and migraine susceptibility: a case-control study.

Their study aimed to investigate an association of three genetic variants of vitamin D receptor with the susceptibility to develop migraine. DNA sample was collected and extracted from 191 patients diagnosed with migraine and 265 headache-free subjects. According to their statistical analysis, a significant association between migraine susceptibility and abnormal variants of vitamin D receptors was found.  They also showed a significant association of two variants with migraine without aura. Their conclusion was that there is a clear association between migraine susceptibility and two vitamin D receptor variants. This further supports the role of vitamin D and its receptor in migraine.

Vitamin D is important not only for migraines but also for your immune system. Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of COVID and other viral infections. Lower levels of vitamin D are associated with a higher risk of attacks of multiple sclerosis even if the level is still within normal range. There are many other reasons to maintain your blood vitamin D level at least in the middle of the normal range. The normal range is 30 to 100, so keep it well above 40. If your doctor tells you that your level is normal, ask for the actual number.

Written by
Alexander Mauskop, MD
Continue reading
November 15, 2025
Cluster headaches
Cluster headaches and solar activity
It was an unusual week at the New York Headache Center. After months of relative calm, my schedule suddenly filled with cluster headache patients—one even consulting me virtually from Saudi Arabia. The influx came right after a G5-level geomagnetic storm, one of the strongest solar events in recent memory.
Read article
November 10, 2025
Alternative Therapies
A Week of Meditation Changes Brains and Bodies
A week-long meditation retreat produces dramatic changes in brain and metabolic functions
Read article
October 21, 2025
Alternative Therapies
Meditation is better than slow breathing exercise in reducing pain
A new study published in the journal PAIN by Dr. A. Amorim and her colleagues at the University of California San Diego examined how mindfulness meditation reduces pain. The findings help clarify whether mindfulness meditation is more effective than simple slow breathing for pain relief.
Read article