Gluten-free diets and migraine in people with celiac disease
What it found
Migraine usually improves on a gluten-free diet in people who have celiac disease.
There is little evidence of benefit for people with migraine who do not have celiac disease.
What they found
Studies in people
Migraine and celiac disease
Migraine is common in people with celiac disease. It usually gets better when they follow a gluten-free diet.
Migraine without celiac disease
There is little evidence that a gluten-free diet helps people who suffer from migraine but do not have celiac disease.
Other findings
Costs and possible harms
A gluten-free diet is expensive. It may also lead to unwanted health consequences.
What the authors conclude
- They note that the benefit of a gluten-free diet for migraine sufferers without celiac disease lacks strong evidence.
- They point out that such a diet is expensive and may bring adverse health effects.
How it was done
Migraine often happens alongside celiac disease, but scientists do not yet know if avoiding gluten helps people who get migraines without having celiac disease. The authors also note that a gluten-free diet can be costly and may carry unwanted health effects.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This report does not describe a controlled trial, so it cannot prove that removing gluten causes migraines to improve.
- It cannot show whether a gluten-free diet helps people who have migraines but not celiac disease.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- University of Connecticut School of Medicine, USA; Baylor College of Medicine, USA
The paper
- Title
- Gluten-Free Diet and Migraine
- Type
- Case report
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Beuthin J, Veronesi M, Grosberg B, Evans RW (2020). Gluten-Free Diet and Migraine. Headache. doi:10.1111/head.13993PubMed 33022759DOI
Summary written 1 Oct 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error