LB063 - FOOD CONSUMPTION AND MIGRAINE ATTACKS: TRIGGER OR CONSEQUENCE? A 30-DAY LONGITUDINAL STUDY

LB063

FOOD CONSUMPTION AND MIGRAINE ATTACKS: TRIGGER OR CONSEQUENCE? A 30-DAY LONGITUDINAL STUDY

P. Silvestre^1,*, I. P. Martins², C. S. Guerreiro³

¹Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal, ²Egas Moniz Study Center, ³Nutrition Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

Rationale: The role of diet in migraine remains debated. Although dietary intake has been proposed as a trigger, food cravings and appetite changes are recognized early migraine symptoms, suggesting that dietary patterns preceding an attack may reflect consequences of the migraine process rather than causal triggers. Clarifying this temporal relationship is key to establishing evidence-based strategies.

Methods: A 30-day longitudinal study was conducted in 34 adult women with low-frequency episodic migraine followed at the migraine consultation of Santa Maria Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal. Daily food diaries assessed intake from 11 food categories. Temporal lag analyses (1, 2, and 3 days before attack onset) using generalized estimating equations were performed. Since early migraine signs may appear up to 48 hours before an attack, the 3-day analysis was included to identify potential triggers occurring before this window.

Results: Most food categories did not predict migraine onset. Chocolate intake three days before an attack significantly predicted migraine occurrence at both moderate (≤3 squares) and high (>3 squares) intake levels (OR=1.64, p=0.007; OR=2.48, p=0.026, respectively), suggesting a dose-dependent trigger effect. Within the 48-hour early symptom window preceding an attack, moderate dairy consumption (up to 1 dairy serving), soft drinks intake (up to 1 glass), and a reduced additive intake (up to 2 sweetener tablets or 1 tablespoon of condiments), were associated with attack (OR=1.50, p=0.039; OR=1.82, p=0.019; OR=0.65, p=0.027, respectively).

Conclusion: According to our results, chocolate consumption may represent a true dietary trigger. In contrast, changes in dairy, soft drinks, and additive intake likely reflect early migraine signs rather than true trigger effects. These findings highlight the importance of timing when investigating diet-migraine relationships.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared