Dairy consumption in relation to primary headaches among a large population of university students: The MEPHASOUS study

Migraine and Diet: Updates in Understanding

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

We explore recent developments in the prevention and treatment of migraine through dietary interventions.

RECENT FINDINGS

Healthier diets (defined in multiple ways), meal regularity, and weight loss are associated with decreased headache burden. Specific diets including the ketogenic diet, the low-glycemic index diet, and the DASH diet are supported by modest evidence for the prevention of migraine. Neither a gluten-free diet, in patients without celiac disease, nor elimination diets have sufficient evidence for their routine consideration. Diet remains a crucial, but underexplored, component of comprehensive migraine management. Multiple interventions exist for providers and patients to consider integrating into their treatment plan. Larger studies are needed to support stronger recommendations for utilization of specific dietary interventions for the prevention and treatment of migraine.

Fruit and vegetable consumption in relation to primary headaches: the MEPHASOUS study

BACKGROUND

Fruit and vegetable consumption may beneficially affect the odds of primary headaches due to their antioxidant contents. However, no study has examined the association between fruit and vegetable consumption and primary headaches among university students.

AIM

To assess the relation between fruit and vegetable intakes and primary headaches among Iranian university students.

METHODS

Overall, 83,214 university students with an age range of ≥ 18 years participated in the present study. Dietary intakes and also data on confounding variables were collected using validated questionnaires. Data on dietary intakes were collected using a validated dietary habits questionnaire. We used the International Classification of Headache Disorders-3 (ICHD-3) criteria to define primary headaches.

RESULTS

Fruit consumption was negatively associated with primary headaches; such that after controlling for potential confounders, greater intake of fruits was associated with 30% lower odds of primary headaches (OR: 0.70, 95% CI 0.58-0.84). Such an inverse association was also found for vegetable consumption. In the fully adjusted model, students in the top category of vegetable consumption were 16% less likely to have primary headaches compared with those in the bottom category (OR: 0.84, 95% CI 0.74-0.95). Subgroup analysis revealed that fruit consumption was inversely associated with primary headaches in females, unlike males, and vegetable consumption was inversely associated with these headaches in males, as opposed to females. Moreover, fruit and vegetable consumption was related to lower odds of primary headaches in normal-weight students.

CONCLUSION

Fruit and vegetable intakes were associated with reduced odds of primary headaches.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, cross-sectional analytic studies.

Breakfast consumption is inversely associated with primary headaches in university students: The MEPHASOUS study

OBJECTIVE

This study was conducted to examine the association between breakfast consumption pattern and primary headaches in a large population of university students.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was done on the MEPHASOUS dataset that contained the information of 83,677 university students, aged ≥18 years, from 28 provinces of Iran. Dietary intakes and breakfast consumption pattern were assessed using a validated self-administered dietary habits questionnaire. Primary headaches were determined according to the International Classification of Headache Disorders-3 (ICHD-3) criteria. Binary logistic regression in different adjusted models was used to assess the association between breakfast consumption and primary headaches.

RESULTS

The mean age of participants was 21.50 ± 4.01. Primary headaches were prevalent among 9% of university students. A significant inverse association was seen between breakfast consumption and odds of primary headaches [odds ratio (OR): 0.57, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 0.51-0.62]. This association remained significant even after taking potential confounders into account; such that students who consumed breakfast frequently had 26 % lower odds of primary headaches compared with those who consumed it <1 day/week (OR: 0.74, 95 % CI: 0.65-0.85). Moreover, such a significant inverse association was observed in female students (OR: 0.54, 95 % CI: 0.49-0.61) as well as those with BMI < 25 kg/m² (OR: 0.68, 95 % CI: 0.58-0.79). However, it became non-significant in male students and those with overweight or obesity.

CONCLUSION

We found that frequent breakfast consumption is associated with a decreased odds of primary headaches in female students and those with BMI < 25 kg/m². Further prospective studies are needed to confirm our findings.

The relationship between lifestyle and anthropometric factors with the sleep characteristics among university students in Iran: the MEPHASOUS study

Background

Healthy sleep habits have an important role in normal cognitive function, emotional performance, and well-being. The aims of this study were to describe the characteristics of sleep among university students in Iran. In addition, we assessed the relationship between lifestyle and anthropometric factors with the sleep characteristics.

Methods

This population-based cross-sectional study was conducted using the data of "Mental and Physical Health Assessment of University Students in Iran" survey 2012-2013. This survey was conducted on newly admitted students in 74 public universities in 28 provinces. The participants were younger adults. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were utilized to recognize associated factors with sleep pattern and range.

Result

Of total 78,848 students who completed the survey, 54.64% (n = 43,079) were females. The average age of the students was 21.53 ± 4.08 and 21.54 ± 3.99 among males and females, respectively. More than 90% (n = 70,923), were non-smokers. Out of the total respondents, 40.56% (n = 31,756) had irregular sleep pattern. Male students were less likely to have irregular sleep pattern than female students.

Conclusion

Our findings indicated that irregular sleep pattern is associated with overweight and obesity. So, these results underscore the need to educate students on importance of healthy sleep pattern and duration on health conditions.