Surprising
Flaxseed (20 g/day) cut migraine severity by a 5-point drop versus 1-point for placebo — but it didn't reduce how often migraines came or how long they lasted.
This small 8-week trial offers an early, intriguing signal that flaxseed might blunt the pain of a migraine when it hits, but don't expect it to prevent attacks — and because it's among the first studies on this pair, the result needs replication before it's trustworthy.
People with migraine who ate 20 grams of flaxseed daily for 8 weeks reported a much sharper reduction in headache severity compared to placebo (a 5-point vs. 1-point drop on a standard scale). But the same study found flaxseed did nothing to change how often headaches occurred, how long they lasted, or measures of depression, anxiety, and stress — so the benefit was real but narrowly focused on pain intensity, sleep quality, and headache-related quality of life.
Where this fits in the evidence
This is among the first studies we've indexed on flaxseed for Reduced Headache Severity — treat it as an early signal until more research accumulates.
The study
- Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT)
- n = 68
- 2026-03
- The Journal of nutrition
This is a plain-language summary of a research finding, not medical advice. Pillser surfaces research signals to help you decide what's worth investigating — always consult a qualified professional before changing what you take.