Higher intake of dietary zinc tied to lower risk of migraine, study reveals

Migraine is a chronic neurovascular disorder affecting 10–20% of the world's population; its pathogenesis involves neuroinflammatory and oxidative stress. Patients suffer from severe headaches and vomiting, nausea, phonophobia, and photophobia during a migraine attack. Typically, migraine-related headaches are one-sided and throbbing that may last for 4–72 h. Migraine can negatively impact patients' quality of life and impose a high burden on the healthcare system.

Analgesic drugs are used to reduce the severity of migraine headaches, but several side effects limit their use. However, several additional treatments have been suggested for managing migraine symptoms. From these methods, supplementation with some micronutrients has received significant attention. Previous studies have indicated that taking pyridoxine, vitamin B2, magnesium, and folate can improve migraine symptoms. Still, little is known about the effect of other micronutrients, such as zinc, on these symptoms.

Zinc is an essential trace element possessing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It plays a vital role in neuronal signalling and is a cofactor for antioxidant enzymes. Some observational studies have shown a moderate rate of zinc deficiency in migraine patients.

Against the above background, Zhao Dong, Chinese PLA General Hospital, Beijing, China, and colleagues aimed to examine the relationship between dietary zinc intake and migraine in a cross-sectional study.

The researchers analyzed the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2004. Participants having severe headaches or migraine were classified as having migraine. The 24 h dietary recall system was used to evaluate the dietary zinc intake.

The study comprised 11,088 participants, of whom 20.2% (2236/11,088) reported migraine disease.

The study led to the following findings:

• Compared to the lowest dietary zinc intake quintile (Q1, ≤5.9 mg/day), the adjusted odds ratios for migraine in Q2 (6.0–8.4 mg/day), Q3 (8.5–11.2 mg/day), Q4 (11.3–15.7 mg/day), and Q5 (≥15.8 mg/day) were 0.73, 0.71, 0.71, and 0.70, respectively.
• Sensitivity analysis of zinc supplementation survey participants also showed an association between dietary zinc intake and migraine.
• Compared to the lowest total zinc intake quintile (Q1: 0.5–9.6 mg/day), the adjusted odds ratios for migraine in Q3 (19.3–24.3 mg/day) and Q4 (24.4–32.5 mg/day) were 0.62 and 0.67, respectively.

"Our findings indicate an inverse association between intake of dietary zinc and migraine in adult Americans," wrote the authors, meaning more dietary zinc intake lower will be the risk of migraine.

Reference:

Liu H, Wang Q, Dong Z, Yu S. Dietary zinc intake and migraine in adults: a cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004. Headache. 2023 Jan 1. doi: 10.1111/head.14431. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36588459.