Vitamin B6 and folate intake are associated with lower risk of severe headache or migraine in adults: An analysis based on NHANES 1999–2004

Previous studies have shown that B vitamins can relieve migraine. However, the association between vitamin B6 and folate, 2 important B vitamins consumed in the diet, with migraine have received minimal attention. This study explored the independent relationships between dietary vitamin B6 and folate intake with migraine and the interaction effect of these 2 nutrients on migraine in US adults. We hypothesized that vitamin B6 and folate intake would be inversely associated with migraine. This study included cross-sectional data from participants aged 20 years and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 1999 to 2004. We conducted multivariate logistic regression and restricted cubic spline regression to explore the association between dietary vitamin B6 and folate intake on migraine. Also, relative excess risk due to interaction, attributable proportion of interaction, and synergy index were used to assess additive interactions. A total of 7017 participants were included in this study, 1350 of whom were migraineurs. We determined that vitamin B6 and folate intake revealed a negative association with severe headache or migraine (0.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47–0.89; P = .01 and 0.57; 95% CI, 0.42–0.78; P = .002]), respectively. Also, a significant interaction effect between a high mass of vitamin B6 and folate intake was observed for a lower risk of migraine (relative excess risk due to interaction, 0.28 [95% CI, 0.05–0.51]; attributable proportion of interaction: 0.45 [95% CI, 0.05–0.86]; synergy index: 0.58 [95% CI, 0.40–0.83]). A high mass of vitamin B6 and folate intake (vitamin B6 intake ≥ 2.39 mg/day and folate intake ≥ 502.01 µg/day) presented a synergistic interaction with migraine, suggesting that these 2 nutrients might be beneficial in preventing migraine.