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Association of dietary diversity score (DDS) and migraine headache severity among women

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Abstract

Background and objectives

Migraine is an episodic disorder that is characterized by unilateral headache lasting 4–72 h along with certain associated features. Modifying dietary habits have been considered an appropriate therapeutic approach in these patients. This study was designed to examine the association between dietary diversity score (DDS) and severity, frequency, and duration of migraine attacks.

Methods and materials

The present study was conducted using a cross-sectional design on 256 women 18–50 years old referred to neurology clinics for the first time. After the diagnosis of migraine by a neurologist, the data related to anthropometric measures and dietary intake (147-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire) were collected. To assess migraine severity, the migraine disability assessment questionnaire (MIDAS), visual analog scale (VAS), and a 30-day headache diary were used. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the association between DDS and migraine severity. The age, physical activity, BMI, and job were considered confounding variables in regression model. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and P values < 0.05 considered statistically significant.

Results

Totally, 256 subjects participated in the present study with mean age, height, weight, and BMI of 34.28 ± 7.88 years, 161.78 ± 5.18 cm, 69.25 ± 13.06 kg, and 26.46 ± 4.89 kg/m2, respectively. Subjects with higher DDS had a lower waist circumference (P = 0.01). There was no association between DDS and other anthropometric measures and demographic characteristics (P > 0.05). In the crude model of logistic regression, participants with lower DDS had higher odds of more pain severity (OR = 2.30; 95% CI = 1.28, 4.12; P = 0.005), migraine disability (OR = 2.66; 95% CI = 1.51, 4.69; P = 0.001), and headache duration (OR = 2.32; CI = 1.22, 4.40; P = 0.01) compared to reference group. No association was found between headache frequency and DDS. Adjusting for the effect of confounding variables did not change the significant association.

Conclusion

DDS was inversely associated with migraine disability, pain severity, and headache frequency. Additional studies are needed to replicate these findings and to explore mechanisms that mediate the association between DDS and migraine attacks.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the study participants for their cooperation and assistance in physical examinations. They also thank those involved in nutritional evaluation and database management, as well as the neurology clinics of Sina and Khatam Alanbia hospitals. We sincerely express our appreciation to the participants of this study.

Funding

This study was supported by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and by grants from Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Grants ID:95-01-103-31348).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Nutrition, School of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), P.O. Box:14155-6117, Tehran, Iran

    Faezeh Khorsha, Atieh Mirzababaei & Khadijeh Mirzaei

  2. Student’s Scientific Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran

    Atieh Mirzababaei

  3. Department of Neurology, Sina Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mansoureh Togha

  4. Headache Department, Iranian Center of Neurological Research, Neuroscience Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mansoureh Togha

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  1. Faezeh Khorsha
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Correspondence to Khadijeh Mirzaei.

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Khorsha, F., Mirzababaei, A., Togha, M. et al. Association of dietary diversity score (DDS) and migraine headache severity among women. Neurol Sci 42, 3403–3410 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04982-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10072-020-04982-6

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