Excess Body Weight Triggers Headaches, Migraines

Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied the association between body mass index and frequency of headaches and migraines.

In their analysis of data from 7,601 men and women ages 20 years and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2002, the researchers determined that being overweight or obese increased the likelihood of headache by as much as 1.4 times.

Underweight participants in the study also showed high prevalence of headaches and migraines, but with only 2% of participants falling into that category, researchers determined the limited number of subjects precluded further analysis.