Is there a link between the inflammatory potential of a diet and mental health among patients with migraine? Findings from a cross-sectional survey

ABSTRACT

Aims

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between the dietary inflammatory index (DII) and mental health outcomes among patients with migraine headaches.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, 262 subjects were included. The dietary intakes were collected using a validated 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Items were scored according to their inflammatory potential, so a higher DII indicated a more pro-inflammatory diet. The association between DII and the mental health of participants was investigated using multinomial logistic regression and odds ratio (OR) with a corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was reported.

Results

Overall, 224 women and 38 men, with a mean (standard error) DII of −2.96 (0.06), age of 36.1 (0.53) years, and BMI of 25.55 (0.21) kg/m², comprised our study population. DII was positively associated with a higher risk of depression in patients with the highest adherence to a pro-inflammatory diet compared to those with the lowest adherence (OR = 1.76; 95%CI: 1.04, 3.00; P_trend= 0.035). Adjustments for age, sex, marital status, smoking status, migraine headache index score, number of family members, mean arterial pressure, medication, physical activity, and BMI intensified the association in a way that the risk of depression was 2.03 times higher in patients with the highest adherence to a pro-inflammatory diet compared to those with the lowest adherence to a pro-inflammatory diet (OR = 2.03; 95%CI: 1.18, 3.49; P_trend= 0.011).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that depression was positively associated with adherence to a pro-inflammatory diet. However, no significant association was observed between anxiety and stress with DII.

KEYWORDS:

• Dietary inflammatory index
• migraine
• ‌headache
• mental health
• nutrition
• ‌diet
• ‌cross-sectional
• ‌Iran

Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank the participants for their cooperation in the present study.

Data availability statement

The data supporting this study’s findings are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

Notes on contributors

Fatemeh Sadat Navab

Fatemeh Sadat Navab, M.Sc. is a researcher at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

Amir Hadi

Amir Hadi, an M.Sc., is a researcher at Halal Research Center of IRI specializing in metabolic diseases. His research is focused on discovering the role of functional foods in metabolic disruptions.

Ibtesam Jahlan

Ibtesam Jahlan is a researcher at King Saud University.

Gholamreza Askari

Gholamreza Askari, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of nutrition sciences at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.

Fariborz Khorvash

Fariborz Khorvash, M.D., is a professor of neurology at Isfahan University of Medical ciences.

Arman Arab

Arman Arab, M.Sc., Ph.D., is a postdoctoral research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He is passionate about advancing the knowledge and practice of nutrition science in the context of neuroscience.