Association between dietary vitamin C intake and migraine in adults: A cross-sectional study of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract Objective: This study aim to evaluate the association between dietary vitamin C intake and the risk of migraine in adult individuals. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 1999 and 2004. Logistic regression models, restricted cubic spline (RCS) regression, and stratified analyses were employed to assess the association between dietary vitamin C intake and migraine. Results: This study included 4101 participants, of whom 702 (17.12%) experienced migraine. The study revealed an inverse association between dietary vitamin C intake and migraine risk (OR=0.89, 95% CI: 0.83-0.96, P =0.002) after adjusting for all covariates. When vitamin C intake was categorized, the adjusted OR (95% CI) for migraine risk in Q 4 (highest vitamin C intake ) was 0.64 (95% CI: 0.49-0.84, P =0.001) compared with Q1 (lowest vitamin C intake). The RCS regression showed a linear inverse relationship between dietary vitamin C intake and migraine risk ( P for non-linearity=0.449). The findings remained consistent, and no significant interactions were found among different groups. Conclusion: Dietary vitamin C intake was independently associated with migraine, and a linear negative relationship was found betweenvitamin C intake and the risk of migraine.