Dietary Magnesium Intake and Migraine Prevalence in Adults

Inadequate magnesium intake may be associated with migraine prevalence, according to the results of a recent analysis.

The study, which was published in Headache, aimed to assess dietary and total magnesium consumption in US adults with migraine or severe headache to determine if magnesium intake plays a role in the prevalence of these conditions.

The analysis included cross-sectional data from 3626 participants aged 20 to 50 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2001 and 2004. Investigators determined presence of migraine or severe headache in the past 3 months via questionnaire. Individuals who did not experience migraine or severe headache were classified as controls.

Investigators used a 24-hour recall interview to determine dietary magnesium intake and a dietary supplements interview to determine supplemental magnesium intake. Total magnesium intake was the sum of dietary and supplement intake.

According to the findings, mean dietary consumption of magnesium was below the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for both migraine (n-905) and control groups (n-2721). Individuals who attained the RA of magnesium through a combination of diet and supplements had lower adjusted odds of migraine (odds ratio [OR]=0.83, 95% Cis=0.70, 0.99, P=0.035). Magnesium consumption in the highest quartile (Q) was associated with lower odds of migraine than in the lowest Q for both dietary (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.63, 0.92, P=0.006) and total (OR=0.78, 95% CI=0.62, 0.99, P=0.042) magnesium intake in adjusted models.

“These results suggest inadequate consumption of magnesium intake is associated with migraine in US adults ages 20 to 50,” the study investigators concluded. As such, further research is warranted to evaluate the effect of dietary magnesium intake on migraine.

Reference

1. Slavin M, Li H, Khatri M, Frankenfeld C. Dietary magnesium and migraine in adults: A cross-sectional analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2004. Headache. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.14065