Association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES

BackgroundCarotenoids are well-established for their potent antioxidant properties; however, their potential association with severe headaches or migraines remains largely unexamined. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between serum carotenoid levels and the prevalence of severe he...

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Main Authors: Tian Hu, Yufei Chen, Siyu Chen, Rui Xue
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Nutrition
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1507503/full
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author Tian Hu
Yufei Chen
Siyu Chen
Rui Xue
author_facet Tian Hu
Yufei Chen
Siyu Chen
Rui Xue
author_sort Tian Hu
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundCarotenoids are well-established for their potent antioxidant properties; however, their potential association with severe headaches or migraines remains largely unexamined. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between serum carotenoid levels and the prevalence of severe headaches or migraines within the US population.MethodsWe utilized data from the 2001–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which comprised a total of 8,910 participants. Serum carotenoid levels—specifically α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, and lycopene—were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. Migraine status was determined based on a questionnaire. The research methodologies employed included multivariate logistic regression, subgroup analysis, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models.ResultsThe prevalence of migraines in the study population was 22.37%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that serum concentrations of α-carotene (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.85–0.97), β-carotene (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81–0.94), β-cryptoxanthin (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.76–0.90), lutein/zeaxanthin (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.67–0.85), and total carotenoids (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.70–0.90) were significantly inversely correlated with severe headaches or migraines; however, no significant association was found for lycopene levels. RCS analysis showed that β-cryptoxanthin had an L-shaped non-linear relationship with migraine prevalence at a threshold of approximately 9.392 μg/dL, while subgroup analyses confirmed the consistent inverse association between total serum carotenoid concentrations and migraine prevalence across various groups.ConclusionSerum concentrations of α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, and total serum carotenoids were inversely correlated with the incidence of severe headaches or migraines in US adults. This evidence indicates that carotenoids may provide a protective effect against migraines; however, further investigation is warranted to substantiate these associations and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.
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spelling doaj-art-ee8283be24e142ea8c45c1820d1619822025-01-06T06:59:29ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Nutrition2296-861X2025-01-011110.3389/fnut.2024.15075031507503Association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANESTian HuYufei ChenSiyu ChenRui XueBackgroundCarotenoids are well-established for their potent antioxidant properties; however, their potential association with severe headaches or migraines remains largely unexamined. This study was conducted to explore the relationship between serum carotenoid levels and the prevalence of severe headaches or migraines within the US population.MethodsWe utilized data from the 2001–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which comprised a total of 8,910 participants. Serum carotenoid levels—specifically α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, and lycopene—were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. Migraine status was determined based on a questionnaire. The research methodologies employed included multivariate logistic regression, subgroup analysis, and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models.ResultsThe prevalence of migraines in the study population was 22.37%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that serum concentrations of α-carotene (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.85–0.97), β-carotene (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.81–0.94), β-cryptoxanthin (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.76–0.90), lutein/zeaxanthin (OR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.67–0.85), and total carotenoids (OR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.70–0.90) were significantly inversely correlated with severe headaches or migraines; however, no significant association was found for lycopene levels. RCS analysis showed that β-cryptoxanthin had an L-shaped non-linear relationship with migraine prevalence at a threshold of approximately 9.392 μg/dL, while subgroup analyses confirmed the consistent inverse association between total serum carotenoid concentrations and migraine prevalence across various groups.ConclusionSerum concentrations of α-carotene, β-carotene, β-cryptoxanthin, lutein/zeaxanthin, and total serum carotenoids were inversely correlated with the incidence of severe headaches or migraines in US adults. This evidence indicates that carotenoids may provide a protective effect against migraines; however, further investigation is warranted to substantiate these associations and to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1507503/fullmigrainecarotenoidNHANEScross-sectional studyα-carotene
spellingShingle Tian Hu
Yufei Chen
Siyu Chen
Rui Xue
Association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES
Frontiers in Nutrition
migraine
carotenoid
NHANES
cross-sectional study
α-carotene
title Association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES
title_full Association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES
title_fullStr Association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES
title_full_unstemmed Association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES
title_short Association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults: a cross-sectional study from NHANES
title_sort association between serum carotenoids levels and severe headache or migraine in adults a cross sectional study from nhanes
topic migraine
carotenoid
NHANES
cross-sectional study
α-carotene
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1507503/full
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