Picture this: It’s Friday night, you’ve had a grueling week at work, and all you want to do is lie down on the couch, turn on your favorite TV show, and eat. chips non-stop. Yes, maybe when you were younger you would go to parties, but life has its surprises. The thing is, you haven’t even finished your bag of chips yet, when suddenly you get a headache. You think it’s just tiredness, so you decide to go to bed and, of course, headache it goes away However, the next day, when you decide to take out the bag of Cheetos that was sitting in your pantry, the same thing happens to you. Is it the French fries’ fault?
This story may sound familiar. Many people report suffering from headaches after eating chips or other similar snacks. Often, the blame is placed on monosodium glutamate. It is an additive that is usually added to snacks to make them more addictive. It generates signals that activate the secretion of dopamine, causing a feeling of pleasure that we want more and more of. Like a drug. It is mainly used in Asian cuisine, but also in many bagged chips and other snacks.
Many people have reported some symptoms after consuming MSG, such as headache, chest pain, shortness of breath, burning sensation in the mouth, or sweating. These are usually mild symptoms that go away on their own. It is commonly known as Chinese restaurant syndrome. However, scientists are not entirely sure if it is real. Now, if they are right and glutamate does not cause these symptoms, why do we get headaches when we eat French fries?
Headaches also depend on fat
Most studies that blame MSG for scalp color are poorly designed or cannot be replicated, leaving much doubt as to whether such a link actually exists. But it is increasingly clear that fat consumption This may have a lot to do with headaches. In fact, people with migraine and obesity They usually experience more severe pain. Moreover, it has been noted that in all cases of migraine, the consumption of certain types of fats can be harmful.
In the case of obesity, there are many studies that show that excess body fat causes inflammation very intense, which can also cause pain. But that’s not all. A special type of fat, omega-6 fatty acidsare the predecessors prostaglandinsinflammatory molecules that can activate pain nerve endings.
Numerous studies have linked excess omega-6 fatty acids, compared to other unsaturated fatty acids such as omega-3, to headaches. So it wouldn’t be surprising if French fries caused headaches if they contained a lot of this fat.
The Most Common Fats in French Fries
In 2020, a group of Romanian scientists measured the levels of several types of fat in the human body. the best selling bagged potato chips in the countryThe goal was to better understand how they might affect health.

It was observed that the three most common fatty acids palmitic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid. The first is a saturated fatty acid, the second is an omega-9 fatty acid, and the last is omega-6 fatty acid. So, taking all of the above into account, eating a lot of French fries often causes headaches. Of course, MSG can also play a role. But don’t blame it for everything. There are many more everyday substances that we forget are harmful. Try cutting down on fat, and your headaches may go away.
Source: Hiper Textual
