Abstract
A 74-year-old female subject with suboptimal management of episodic tension headache was treated with a daily dose of 1.5 g l-arginine and 1.2 g aged garlic extract (AGE). The aim of the intervention was to promote vasodilation of parenchymal cerebral blood vessels. Within 6 weeks of commencing treatment, her self-reported symptoms improved markedly and were sustained at 2 years following commencement. We propose that the putative beneficial effect of l-arginine and AGE in this patient is because of the well-established systemic vasodilatory effects of l-arginine and aged garlic extract. On the hypothesis that migraine is precipitated by cerebral microvascular constriction, we recommend a double-blind randomised controlled trial to clinically test this hypothesis in migraine patients.
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The authors would like to thank the patient for their co-operation.
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DC wrote the primary manuscript; JM facilitated the interview and edited the manuscript; MV oversaw the development of, and edited, the manuscript; and RT and VL co-supervised the Ph.D. candidacy and edited the manuscript.
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Chaliha, D., Vaccarezza, M., Lam, V. et al. Attenuation of chronic tension headache frequency and severity with daily l-arginine and aged garlic extract dietary supplementation. Eur J Clin Nutr 76, 317–319 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00962-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-021-00962-x