Written by Chrystal Moulton, Staff Writer. A statistically significant inverse association was observed between dietary calcium and magnesium intake and migraines in women.
In a cross-sectional study, researchers assessed whether there was an association between calcium and magnesium intake and the occurrence of migraines 1. Data was taken from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) of America from 1999 to 2004. A total of 15,332 participants above the age of 20 years old completed the survey for severe headaches or migraines of which 10,798 were included in the study (5526 men and 5272 women). Based on the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention study (AMPP) 2, participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) who self-identified as having severe headaches or migraines were classified as “having possible migraine”. Of the 10,798 participants, 2123 participants (19.7%) reported severe headaches or migraines. The average age of those participants was 45 years old and about 64% were female (N= 1356 females, N = 767 males). Dietary assessment on calcium and magnesium intakes were based on 24-hour dietary recall. Data was adjusted in 2 models. Model 1 adjusted for demographics, lifestyle, diet assessment, as well as calcium and magnesium intake. Model 2 adjusted for the covariates listed in model 1 plus baseline disease state and clinical characteristics. Participants were divided into quintiles of dietary calcium intake and magnesium intake, which was further categorized by male and female.
Researchers found that daily average intake of calcium and magnesium was below RDA levels in both male and female participants who reported having severe headaches. Furthermore, dietary calcium and magnesium intake was significantly and negatively associated with the occurrence of migraines even after adjusting for possible confounders. For calcium, participants in quintile 2 (378.01 – 571.00 mg/d) and participants in quintile 5 (≥ 1149.01 mg/d) had an odds ratio of 0.85 [P = 0.044] and 0.77 [P = 0.008], respectively. For magnesium intake, quintile 2, quintile 3, quintile 4, and quintile 5 demonstrated significant inverse association with the occurrence of migraines (see table 1).
Table 1. Association of Magnesium Intake and Severe Headache Occurrence
| Magnesium intake (mg/d) | Data Model 1 | Data Model 2 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odds Ratio (OR) | P-value | Odds Ratio (OR) | P-value | |
| Q2 (161.01-217.00) | 0.81 | P= 0.007 | 0.81 | P= 0.007 |
| Q3 (217.01-282.00) | 0.82 | P= 0.019 | 0.83 | P= 0.026 |
| Q4 (282.01-371.00) | 0.78 | P= 0.007 | 0.78 | P= 0.008 |
| Q5 (≥371.01) | 0.69 | P= 0.001 | 0.69 | P= 0.001 |
For women, statistically significant inverse association between dietary calcium intake and magnesium intake was observed over all quintiles (P trend = 0.037 and P trend = 0.016, respectively). For men, dietary calcium intake was statistically significant for the highest quintile (OR= 0.71, p= 0.028). No significant statistical association was observed for dietary magnesium intake and headache occurrence in men. When comparing the combined effect of high magnesium and high calcium intake in both male and female participants, a significant inverse relationship was found (OR = 0.77, P = 0.003). After stratifying these findings based on biological sex, high magnesium and high calcium intake remained statistically significant only among female participants (OR = 0.74, P = 0.006). Further regression analysis showed a significant decrease in odds ratios with dietary magnesium intake above 243 mg/day and calcium intake range from 670 – 1700 mg/day.
Overall, the study found that magnesium and calcium intake, both in combination and independently, was inversely associated with the occurrence of migraines in women. In men, only high calcium intake was inversely associated with migraine occurrence. Further studies will be needed to elucidate these findings.
Source: Meng, Shu-Han, Ming-Xue Wang, Li-Xin Kang, Jin-Ming Fu, Hai-Bo Zhou, Xin Li, Xia Li, Xue-Ting Li, and Ya-Shuang Zhao. “Dietary Intake of Calcium and Magnesium in Relation to Severe Headache or Migraine.” Frontiers in Nutrition 8 (2021): 83.
© 2021 Meng, Wang, Kang, Fu, Zhou, Li, Li, Li and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
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Posted May 25, 2021.
Chrystal Moulton BA, PMP, is a 2008 graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago. She graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology with a focus on premedical studies and is a licensed project manager. She currently resides in Indianapolis, IN.
References:
- Meng SH, Wang MX, Kang LX, et al. Dietary Intake of Calcium and Magnesium in Relation to Severe Headache or Migraine. Front Nutr. 2021;8:653765.
- Buse DC, Loder EW, Gorman JA, et al. Sex differences in the prevalence, symptoms, and associated features of migraine, probable migraine and other severe headache: results of the American Migraine Prevalence and Prevention (AMPP) Study. Headache. 2013;53(8):1278-1299.
