Association between composite dietary antioxidant index and migraine: A nationwide cross-sectional study

Background: The field of dietary therapies for migraine has grown in popularity. Less research has been done to synthesize the relationship between migraine and the composite dietary antioxidant index (CDAI), a crucial indicator for evaluating the overall combined effects of multiple dietary antioxidants. Therefore, this study addressed this gap based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database.Methods: Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression equations were used to investigate the relationship between covariates or CDAI and migraine. This relationship was further investigated using smoothed curve fitting. After a nonlinear relationship was discovered, the recursive algorithm calculated the turning point, and a linear regression model was developed. Additional stratified analyses were performed to explore differences between populations.Results: In the model corrected for all covariates, the OR of CDAI with migraine was 1.00 (95% CI = 0.98-1.02), which was not statistically significant. A smooth-fit curve confirmed the U-shaped relationship between CDAI and migraine and identified an inflection point of 0.2. They were negatively correlated before the inflection point with OR of 0.93 (95% CI = 0.88-0.97) and positively correlated after the inflection point with OR of 1.04 (95% CI = 1.01-1.07). The same U-shaped relationship was observed in women and adults with BMI <30.Conclusions: We identified a U-shaped association between CDAI and migraine in the U.S. adult population, and the same association was discovered in women and adults with BMI <30. Further case-control studies and experimental research are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms of action.