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Background: Dizziness and vertigo rank among the top 10 reasons for emergency and clinical referrals to neurologists. Chronic dizziness and imbalance not only reduce quality of life, but also increase mortality. While the Mediterranean diet has long been considered beneficial for human and planetary health, its effects on chronic dizziness or imbalance are understudied. We investigated the associations of adherence to the Mediterranean diet with chronic dizziness and imbalance., Methods: This study used data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2019-2021 and included 4,183 adults aged 40 years and older with complete information from diet, dizziness, and neurotology questionnaires. The alternate Mediterranean diet score (aMed) for nine food groups was calculated from 24-hour dietary recall data. Based on questionnaire responses, chronic dizziness was categorized as either isolated or chronic dizziness with imbalance, characterized by a cluster of difficulties maintaining a standing position, walking, or falling., Results: In a multivariable-adjusted model, the prevalence of chronic imbalance was lower in the top aMed tertile than in the bottom tertile (OR 0.37; 95% CI, 0.18-0.74; p-trend = 0.01). Among the individual aMed components, the intake of whole grains and nuts exhibited an inverse relationship with chronic imbalance (OR 0.50; 95% CI, 0.27-0.93 for whole grains; OR 0.55; 95% CI, 0.31-1.01 for nuts). The aMed score was not associated with isolated chronic dizziness., Conclusions: Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet may reduce chronic imbalance, particularly with an adequate intake of whole grains and nuts., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: To determine the efficacy of prophylactic medications for migraine in reducing associated dizziness and motion sickness., Study Design: Multicenter prospective observational study., Setting: Nationwide 9 Dizziness Clinics in South Korea., Patients: One hundred thirty-eight patients who required a preventive medication for migraine accompanied by dizziness and motion sickness., Intervention: At least one of the prophylactic medications was prescribed among the beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, tricyclic antidepressants, and antiepileptic drugs., Main Outcome Measure: For 3 months from the index visit, the patients had monthly assessments of the headache (frequency and duration), dizziness handicap inventory, University of California Los Angeles dizziness questionnaire, vertigo symptom scale, and motion sickness score., Results: The prophylactic medications significantly improved the headache profiles, all three parameters of dizziness (dizziness handicap inventory, University of California Los Angeles dizziness questionnaire, and vertigo symptom scale), and severity of motion sickness (p < 0.001)., Conclusion: The prophylactic medication for migraine also improves associated dizziness and motion sickness as well as the headaches.