Despite the various drawbacks of suffering from migraines, the condition appears to be associated with a significant health benefit: A new study of more than 4,500 subjects found a 26% reduced risk of breast cancer among both premenopausal and postmenopausal women with a clinical diagnosis of migraines.The risk reduction remained statistically similar regardless of a woman’s menopausal status, her age at migraine diagnosis, use of prescription migraine medications or whether she avoided known migraine “triggers” such as alcohol consumption, smoking and taking hormone replacements. These triggers are also well-established breast cancer risk factors.

What remains unknown is how migraine confers its apparent protection against breast cancer. “We know that migraine is definitely related to hormones and that’s why we started looking at this in the first place,” notes lead author Christopher I. Li, MD, PhD.

“We have different ideas about what may be going on but it’s unclear exactly what the biological mechanisms are.”

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention – July 1, 2009;18:2030-34.

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