Study: Your Weight Might Affect Your Migraine Risk

A new study published in Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain found a link between a person’s weight and how likely they are to get migraine headaches.

The researchers found that people who had a body mass index (BMI) at either end of the spectrum—underweight or obese—were at a higher risk for migraines than people in the normal BMI range.

This information could provide some clues for the 10% of people worldwide who get migraines, including 17% of women and 6% of men in the United States.

Migraines aren't like common, typical headaches—they cause intense, throbbing head pain that can last up to 72 hours. On top of pain, people may also get other migraine symptoms like sensitivity to light or sound; nausea and vomiting; and visual disturbance (aura).

For their review and meta-analysis, the researchers analyzed data from 41 observational studies that included more than 154,000 cases and 792,500 people. They wanted to see if there was a link between BMI and headache disorders, including migraines.

The link to body weight really only applied to migraines—the researchers only found “limited evidence” to support a link between BMI and other types of headaches.

The people with the lowest risk of getting migraines had a BMI of around 20.

A Link, But Not Necessarily a Cause

While the findings are interesting, the study had a couple of important limitations to keep in mind:

• The research was a review and analysis of research, not a controlled study that set out to prove cause and effect.
• The researchers did not find out why there might be a link between BMI and migraines—they just noticed one in the data they looked at.

Even with the limitations, Medhat Mikhael MD, a pain management specialist and medical director of the non-operative program at the Spine Health Center, MemorialCare Orange Coast Medical Center, told Verywell that the study's findings were “not surprising."

According to Mikhael, who was not involved in the study, many providers have noticed a relationship between migraines and body weight in their patients.

Why Would Weight Affect Migraine Risk?

The researchers didn't explore why there would be a link between body weight and migraine risk—but other experts have some ideas.

Inflammation

Amit Sachdev, MD, the director of the division of neuromuscular medicine at Michigan State University, told Verywell there are a few reasons why BMI could be connected to migraines.

“Being overweight is clearly associated with more inflammation in the body,” said Sachdev, who was not involved in the study. "Inflammation is irritating. Inflammation as a trigger for migraines makes sense.”

Nutrition

At the end of the BMI scale, Sachdev admitted that it's "a bit harder to understand" why there might be a link between being underweight and getting migraines.

Mikhael suggested that if you're underweight, you might be following a strict diet that “lacks essential nutrients that balance the neurovascular system in your body."

That makes sense when you consider that previous research has linked nutritional deficiencies—including magnesium, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin B12 (cobalamin), coenzyme Q10, carnitine, α-lipoic acid, and vitamin D—to migraines.

According to Mikhael, a person with an underweight BMI might also be following a low-carbohydrate diet, which tends to lead to constipation—another factor tied to migraines.

Could Your Migraines Be Related to Your Weight?

While there are a few interesting theories, Sachdev cautioned that researchers and providers still have a lot left to learn about how body weight could affect migraine risk.

“There is always more to the story and this study doesn't give us insight into what is driving the trends they saw,” said Sachdev. “For example, obesity can be related to medical diseases that make it difficult to be mobile, such as head injuries. "

Sachdev also highlighted that mental well-being could also be part of the picture, because "obesity can be related to overeating because of stress, [and] stress can also cause headaches.”

If you get migraines and haven't been able to figure out your triggers or control your symptoms, it might be worth talking to your provider about your weight.

“If your weight isn't ideal and you have a headache disorder, addressing the weight issue may help address the headache disorder," said Sachdev.