The effects of a multispecies probiotic supplement on inflammatory markers and episodic and chronic migraine characteristics: A randomized double-blind controlled trial.

What Was Tested

This randomized controlled trial looks at Copper (Supplement) in the context of migraine.

The current study was designed to assess the effect of supplementation with a 14-strain probiotic mixture on episodic and chronic migraine characteristics.

Who Took Part

According to the abstract, 39 patients were involved.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Forty episodic and 39 chronic migraine patients who completed this randomized double-blind controlled trial received two capsules of multispecies probiotic or placebo.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled.

The patients were allocated by chance, so the Copper (Supplement) group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Neither the patients nor the staff measuring them knew who was on Copper (Supplement), so expectations could not easily colour the readings.

Some patients received a placebo instead of Copper (Supplement), giving a reference point.

The migraine severity was assessed by visual analog scale (VAS).

The number of abortive drugs consumed, migraine days, frequency and duration of attacks were recorded on paper-based headache diaries.

Serum tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and C- reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured at baseline and the end of the intervention.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Dietary Supplements, Migraine Disorders and Probiotics.

The authors tagged it with the keywords Gut integrity, inflammation and migraine treatment.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled study of Copper (Supplement) in 39 patients in people with migraine.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

Results are reported in around 8 sentences of the abstract; we leave them to the paper itself rather than summarise them.

The publication is from 2019 (Cephalalgia : an international journal of headache), a journal based in England.

More context: the Copper (Supplement) compound page, Migraine research.