Obesity and Migraines: What is the Link?

There has been alot of hype in the media lately about obesity and migraines. The AHS (American Headache Society) has put out a short statement on their website stating that there is no correlation at the present time.

HOWEVER..a few studies published in the last two years concerning obesity and migraines have generated some talk in the Neurology community.

One study from 2005,by Dr. Marcelo Bigal, noted that while the prevelance of migraines were not related to a particular BMI (body mass index), an increase in BMI resulted in an increase in the frequency of migraines.

Another study by Dr. Andrew Hershey at Cinncinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center demonstrated that 91% of obese children had migraines.

So what does this all mean to you and me..the migraineurs? Well there might be a couple of things going on here. If you are obese you are less likely to exercise. Aerobic exercise three times a week has been shown to reduce the frequency of migraines.

Obese migraineurs are 4 times more likely to have depression also!

How does that happen? Seratonin! These receptor sites in the brain are involved in the migraine process. When you exercise you increase your seratonin levels and the theory is...more seratonin, less headaches.

This is also the theory behind why some SSRI's (anti-depressants that boost seratonin levels) also prevent headaches.

Read more about obesity and migraines.

Obviously the key here is to exercise and lose weight. There are plenty of nutritional diets and plans available on the net now, so you really don't have an excuse.

There are dozens of excellent programs available such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem. The key here, obviously, is to maintain a healthy weight. More and more evidence is beginning to suggest that obesity affects every body system. Ezine article on Obesity and Migraines.

References:

BigalME, Leberman JN, Lipton RB. Obesity and Migraine: A population study. Neurology2006;66:545-550

Hershey, AJ. Obesity in Children with Migraine. Neurology Today. 2007;25

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