The association between dietary glycemic index and disease severity among the women with episodic migraine

ABSTRACT

Purpose

To our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the association between dietary glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) with migraine-related clinical symptoms.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 266 women with episodic migraine. The migraine disability assessment (MIDAS) was used to evaluate migraine-related disability in the recent three months. Visual analogue scales (VAS) were also employed to examine migraine-related pains. Glycemic index and glycemic load indices were calculated using the nutritional information obtained from the food frequency questionnaire.

Results

The study participants had a mean age of 34.32 ± 7.86 years. It was observed that individuals in the quartile 4 of GI and GL reported significantly higher consumption of calories, carbohydrates, proteins, and fats (P < 0.05). In the unadjusted models, those in the quartile 4 of GI and GL had significantly increased odds of experiencing severe pain (based on VAS score) (OR = 2.09, 95% CI = 1.37–2.70, P < 0.001 for dietary GI, and OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.16–2.79, P = 0.005 for dietary GL). Additionally, compared to participants in the quartile 1 of GI and GL, those in the quartile 4 of GI and GL were more likely to suffer from severe disability (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

We found a significant positive correlation between the consumption of foods with higher GI and GL and the clinical conditions related to migraine disease. However, due to the cross-sectional nature of the study, it is not possible to establish a cause-and-effect relationship for the observed results.

KEYWORDS:

• Glycemic index
• glycemic load
• migraine
• headache
• women
• visual analog scale
• disability‌
• cross-sectional

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.

Disclosure statement

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

Availability of data and material

The data that support the findings of this study are available if anyone wants.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, and by grants from Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Grants ID: 95-01-103-31348, Date: 2016-04-08).

Notes on contributors

Vajiheh Arabshahi

Vajiheh Arabshahi is a PhD student in nutrition in Iran University of Medical science.

Mansoureh Togha

Mansoureh Togha is a PhD student in nutrition in Tehran university of Medical Science.

Faezeh Khorsha

Faezeh Khorsh is a PhD student in nutrition in Tehran university of medical science.