Investigation of the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and migraine in adult individuals aged 18-65 with migraine diagnosis

Migraine is a disease that disrupts the quality of daily life of individuals, occurs as a pain that usually starts on one side of the head, and affects many people around the world. Food is one of the main environmental factors that trigger migraine. Unhealthy foods in diets are defined as ultra-processed foods. The NOVA classification system used when categorizing foods divides foods into 4 groups. This study was conducted to examine the relationship between migraine and ultra-processed foods. In our study, the relationship between migraine and ultra-processed food consumption was investigated in adults aged 18-65. The study was conducted in May 2023, and a total of 176 people were included in the study, including 88 participants diagnosed with migraine between the ages of 18-65 and 88 healthy participants in the control group. An information form containing demographic information and a food consumption frequency survey including ultra-processed food consumption were presented to the participants. When the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption scores and BMI of participants in both the migraine group and the control group was examined, it was determined that there was no significant difference between the average consumption scores of the participants in both groups from ultra-processed foods (p>0,05). According to the study findings, the average consumption score of the participants in the migraine group from ultra-processed foods was 32,977 and the average consumption score of the participants in the control group from ultra-processed foods was 37,705 and it was concluded that this difference was not statistically significant (p>0,05). In conclusion, the findings of this study showed that ultra-processed food consumption scores were high in both the migraine group and the control group but there was no significant relationship between ultra-processed food consumption scores and migraine. Keywords: Migraine, NOVA, Ultra Processed Foods, Headache