Dietary fiber intake tied to incidence of migraine

Increased dietary fiber intake is associated with a decreased incidence of migraine, according to a study published online Jan. 4 in Frontiers in Nutrition.

Hao Huang and Kaiyin He, both from The First Affiliated Hospital at Jinan University in Guangzhou, China, examined the association between dietary fiber intake and the prevalence of severe headache or migraine using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999 to 2004).

The researchers found that after adjusting for covariates, there was a significant inverse association seen between dietary fiber intake and severe headache or migraine, with the lowest prevalence observed in the fifth quintile (odds ratio, 0.74). For every 10-g/day increase in dietary fiber intake, the prevalence of severe headache or migraine decreased by 11 percent. However, among Mexican Americans, other races, or those with a body mass index of 25 to 30 kg/m², no such inverse association was seen.

"To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has examined the relationship between dietary fiber and severe headache or migraine," the authors write. "Increasing the intake of fiber-rich foods might protect from severe headache or migraine. However, more prospective studies should be conducted to confirm their association."