The predictive role of the dietary phytochemical index in relation to the clinical and psychological traits of migraine headaches.

We investigated the relationship between dietary phytochemical index (DPI) and migraine headaches in Iranian patients, analyzing both clinical and psychological traits. A cross-sectional study was conducted using non-obese adults aged 20-50 years who were diagnosed with migraine. The study used a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire to assess the usual dietary intake of participants. The DPI was calculated using the following formula: [daily energy derived from phytochemical-rich foods (in kJ)/total daily energy intake (in kJ)] × 100. Clinical outcomes of migraine including frequency, duration, and severity of headaches, as well as migraine-related disability were obtained using relevant questionnaires. Moreover, the mental health profile of patients including depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as serum levels of nitric oxide (NO) were measured. A Poisson regression was used for headache frequency. Linear regression analyzed migraine-related outcomes including duration, severity, migraine-related disability, and serum NO levels. In addition, psychological traits were analyzed via logistic regression. A total of 262 individuals (85.5% females) with a mean age of 36.1 years were included in the analysis. The frequency of migraine attacks was lower in patients in the last DPI tertile compared to those in the first DPI tertile both in the crude [incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.63, 0.78, Ptrend < 0.001] and fully-adjusted models (IRR = 0.84, 95% CI 0.74, 0.96, Ptrend = 0.009). After controlling for potential confounders, an inverse relationship was observed between higher adherence to DPI and migraine-related disability (ß = - 2.48, 95% CI - 4.86, - 0.10, P trend = 0.046). After controlling for potential confounders, no significant relationship was observed between DPI and depression (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.42, 1.47, Ptrend = 0.480), anxiety (OR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.61, 2.14, Ptrend = 0.655), and stress (OR = 1.04, 95% CI 0.57, 1.90, Ptrend = 0.876). Higher intakes of phytochemical-rich foods may be associated with lower migraine frequency and improved daily activities among patients. Further studies should confirm our observations and delineate the biological pathways linking phytochemicals and migraine headaches.

Associations between dietary diversity score and migraine headaches: the results from a cross-sectional study.

Aims: There is limited evidence on the link between diet quality and migraine headaches. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between dietary diversity score (DDS), as a good representative of overall diet quality, and clinical features of migraine headaches. Methods: In total, 262 subjects (224 females and 34 males), aged 20 to 50 years old were included in the present cross-sectional study. The migraine headache was diagnosed according to the third edition of the International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-3). Clinical features of migraine headaches including frequency, severity, and duration of migraine headaches, headache impact test-6 (HIT-6), and serum levels of nitric oxide (NO) were assessed by standard procedures. The dietary intake of participants has been assessed by a validated 168-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and used to calculate DDS. The association between DDS and clinical variables of migraine headaches was investigated using multiple linear regression analysis, and the beta (ß) estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Results: A significant inverse association was found between DDS and headache frequency (ß = -2.19, 95% CI: -4.25, -0.14) and serum levels of NO (ß = -6.60, 95% CI: -12.58, -0.34), when comparing patients in the third tertile of DDS to those in the first tertile. The association remained significant and became stronger after adjustment for confounders for both outcomes of headache frequency (ß = -3.36, 95% CI: -5.88, -0.84) and serum levels of NO (ß = -9.86, 95% CI: -18.17, -1.55). However, no significant association was found between DDS with HIT-6 score, migraine headache duration, and severity. Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that higher dietary diversity is correlated with lower migraine frequency and serum levels of NO.

Association between shift work and obesity in a large sample of Iranian steel industry workers.

Obesity is associated with several chronic diseases, and previous research suggests that shift work could be associated with the risk of overweight and obesity, but the results remain inconclusive. Furthermore, only a few studies report related findings for industrial workforce with high job-related stress. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to see if such association exists in a large sample of 3063 industrial workers in a developing country. The sample was selected among 16,000 steel company workers through multistage cluster sampling. We took anthropometric measurements, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Information about potential confounders was collected with a self-administered questionnaire. The association between shift work and both general and abdominal obesity was established with multinomial and binary logistic regression analysis. The study sample consisted of 1683 (54.9 %) rotational shift workers and 1380 (45.1 %) day workers. Shift work was significantly associated with higher risk of overweight after adjusting for the impacts of potential confounders (OR=1.2; 95 % CI:1.04-1.4) but not with abdominal obesity. This study established that shift work was an independent risk factor for overweight in industrial shift workers. Modification of working schedules is recommended, particularly for prolonged, continuous shift work.