Migraines & Headaches Resource Center

There have been studies of every type trying to find the causes of migraine headaches. The studies have been being conducted for years and have discussed and involved everything from food to medicaion to sleep and excercise – and how all of these things interact wth the body to create or trigger migraines.

One of the most current migraine studies has taken a close look at fat around the middle of the body and how it might be triggering migraine headaches. The study shows that overweight people between the ages of 20 and 55 who are overweight – especially around the middle of the body – have a higher risk of experiencing migraine headaches.

Over 22,000 individuals who were part of the research and who were overweight, were asked if they had migraine headaches. In the age range between 20 and 55, those individuals who had larger waistlines also experienced many more migraine headaches than the people of the same ages but with smaller waistlines.

To measure obesity, measurements were taken by circumference and total body obesity. This was calculated by using a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI) using weight and height.

Thirty seven percent of women between 20 and 55 with excessive abdominal fat reported getting regular migraines compared to 29% of those without excessive abdominal fat. As for men in the same situation, 20% with excess abdominal fat reported regular migraines vs. only 16% of those without excessive abdominal fat reporting migraines.

These results strongly suggest that it would be helpful for those men and women who have excess abdominal fat and get migraines to try to lose weight, thereby eliminating the number and the severity of migraines they experience. If you find yourself in this situation, trying to lose some weight might be your greatest source of relief.