如果有人让你描述一种头痛，很难给出一个通用的答案。这是因为每个人对头痛的感受都不一样。对一些人来说，头痛会让人感觉尖锐刺耳，而对另一些人来说，它可能是一种缓慢的、不断增长的搏动感。头痛可能只持续几分钟，也可能持续几天，但尽管存在这些差异，所有头痛都可以被归类为头部任何部位的疼痛。
When it comes to what causes headaches, the reasons can be just as varied as the headaches themselves. Most headaches are caused by a stiffening of the neck and head muscles, otherwise known as tension headaches (via Harvard Health Publishing). These headaches can be prompted by hunger, stress, sleep deprivation, or even changes in the weather. Migraines, while similar to headaches, are a result of pain generated by hypersensitive nerve endings in the brain, and are often experienced as a more severe form of a headache. Migraines may be brought on by smoke or bright lights, as well as some food items such as cheese, avocados, peanut butter, and sour cream. Is chocolate also one such food item to avoid?
说起引起头痛的原因，可能就像头痛本身一样多种多样。大多数头痛是由颈部和头部肌肉僵硬引起的，也被称为紧张性头痛。这些头痛可能由饥饿、压力、睡眠不足，甚至天气变化引起。偏头痛与头痛类似，是由大脑中神经末梢高度敏感而产生的疼痛，通常是一种更严重的头痛形式。烟或强光，以及奶酪、牛油果、花生酱和酸奶油等食物都可能引起偏头痛。巧克力也是要避免的食物之一吗?
Different ingredients may improve or worsen a headache
不同的成分可能会改善或加重头痛
In a 2020 review published in the scientific journal Nutrients, researchers investigated patient claims of chocolate being the top food trigger for their migraines by examining a series of past studies. Evidence as to whether chocolate is the direct cause of a headache was not significant enough to definitely determine. However, experts believe that certain ingredients in chocolate, such as caffeine, could be a contributing factor (via Healthline). An additional ingredient found in chocolate, beta-phenylethylamine, has been shown to impact cerebral blood flow, demonstrating a potential link to the onset of migraines (via American Academy of Neurology).
在2020年发表在科学杂志《营养》(nutrition)上的一篇综述中，研究人员通过查阅过去的一系列研究，调查了患者声称巧克力是引发偏头痛的首要食物的说法。关于巧克力是否是头痛的直接原因的证据还不足以确定。然而，专家认为，巧克力中的某些成分，如咖啡因，可能是一个诱因。在巧克力中发现的另一种成分-苯乙胺已经被证明会影响大脑血液流动，这表明它与偏头痛的发作有潜在的联系。
On the other hand, chocolate also contains cocoa, an ingredient that experts at the National Headache Foundation believe may actually help relieve headaches. Based on study findings, study author Paul Durham of Missouri State University's Center for Biomedical & Life Sciences states, "Our data is the first evidence to support that diets enriched in cocoa increase proteins that prevent your nerve cells from becoming excited and releasing inflammatory molecules that are thought to be involved in migraine pathology."
另一方面，巧克力也含有可可，国家头痛基金会的专家认为这种成分实际上可能有助于缓解头痛。根据研究结果，研究作者、密苏里州立大学生物医学与生命科学中心的保罗·达勒姆表示，“我们的数据是第一个证明富含可可的饮食可以增加蛋白质的证据，这些蛋白质可以防止神经细胞变得兴奋和释放炎症分子，而这些分子被认为与偏头痛有关。”
While migraine sufferers will respond differently to different types of foods, the National Headache Foundation does not recommend chocolate treats as a means of symptom relief, due to the fact that the cocoa content is minimal, and instead, the caffeine and tyramine present will likely stimulate a headache.
虽然偏头痛患者对不同类型的食物会有不同的反应，但国家头痛基金会并不推荐巧克力治疗作为缓解症状的方法，因为可可含量最低，相反，咖啡因和酪胺可能会刺激头痛。
