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

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

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.

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).

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.