Cocoa flavanols for migraine relief
Cocoa Flavanols for Migraine: A Pilot Study
Seeing if a cocoa flavanol supplement can help reduce migraine attacks in adults who get migraines.
Quick facts
| Grant type | U01 cooperative agreement |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Brigham and Women's Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Boston, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11178367 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would take a cocoa flavanol supplement or a placebo and keep a diary of your headaches, symptoms, and any side effects during the study. The team will compare how often and how severe your migraine attacks are between the supplement and placebo groups. This pilot builds on a large prevention trial (COSMOS) that found fewer migraine reports in people taking a cocoa extract, and it focuses specifically on adults with migraine. The study may also collect symptom or biological data to help understand possible mechanisms behind any benefit.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Adults (21 years and older) who have a diagnosis of migraine and experience recurring migraine attacks would be the ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People whose headaches are not migraines or who have medical reasons to avoid cocoa or stimulants like caffeine are unlikely to benefit from this intervention.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could offer a low-side-effect dietary supplement option to help reduce migraine frequency or severity.
How similar studies have performed: A large randomized prevention trial (COSMOS) reported fewer migraine reports among older adults taking a cocoa extract (HR=0.85), so there is encouraging prior signal but dedicated migraine trials remain limited.
Where this research is happening
Boston, United States
- Brigham and Women's Hospital — Boston, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Rist, Pamela M. — Brigham and Women's Hospital
- Study coordinator: Rist, Pamela M.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.