Dietary zinc intake and migraine in adults: a cross‐sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2004

Abstract Objective The study examined the relationship between dietary zinc intake and migraine. Background Neuroinflammatory and oxidative stress are involved in the pathogenesis of migraine. Little is known about the effects of zinc, an anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant trace element, on migraine. Methods The US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data from 1999 to 2004 were analyzed for this cross‐sectional study. Participants who had severe headache or migraine were classified as having migraine. Dietary zinc intake was evaluated using the 24 h dietary recall system. Results A total of 11,088 participants were included, of whom, 20.2% (2236/11,088) reported having migraine disease. 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 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.61–0.88, p = 0.004), 0.71 (95% CI: 0.56–0.91, p = 0.013), 0.71 (95% CI: 0.57–0.90, p = 0.008), and 0.70 (95% CI: 0.52–0.94, p = 0.029), 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 (95% CI: 0.46–0.83, p = 0.019) and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.49–0.91, p = 0.045), respectively. Conclusions Our findings indicate an inverse association between dietary zinc intake and migraine in adult Americans.