Obesity and Headache: Part I – A Systematic Review of the Epidemiology of Obesity and Headache

Abstract

Individually, both obesity and headache are conditions associated with a substantial personal and societal impact. Recent data support that obesity is comorbid with headache in general and migraine specifically, as well as with certain secondary headache conditions such as idiopathic intracranial hypertension. In the current manuscript, we first briefly review the epidemiology of obesity and common primary and secondary headache disorders individually. This is followed by a systematic review of the general population data evaluating the association between obesity and headache in general, and then obesity and migraine and tension-type headache disorders. Finally, we briefly discuss the data on the association between obesity and a common secondary headache disorder that is associated with obesity, idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Taken together, these data suggest that it is important for clinicians and patients to be aware of the headache/migraine-obesity association, given that it is potentially modifiable. Hypotheses for mechanisms of the obesity-migraine association and treatment considerations for overweight and obese headache sufferers are discussed in the companion manuscript, as part II of this topic.

Body composition status and the risk of migraine

“…[1][2][3] Although several studies support that obesity is associated with an increased risk of migraine, results are inconsistent with regards to included populations, how obesity status is categorized, and other features of individual study design and conduct, and the conclusions drawn.…”

“…1 As obesity is a potentially modifiable risk factor, the relationship between migraine and obesity has been a focus of research interest for the last decade. [1][2][3] Although several studies support that obesity is associated with an increased risk of migraine, results are inconsistent with regards to included populations, how obesity status is categorized, and other features of individual study design and conduct, and the conclusions drawn.…”

“…[1][2][3] Although several studies support that obesity is associated with an increased risk of migraine, results are inconsistent with regards to included populations, how obesity status is categorized, and other features of individual study design and conduct, and the conclusions drawn. 1,4 In the extant literature of studies examining the migraine-obesity association, population inclusion criteria have varied by important modifiers of both disorders, most notably age and sex. While some studies included adults of all ages, [5][6][7] others were limited to younger 3,8,9 or older [10][11][12] populations, whereas others stratified by age (e.g., ,50 and $50 years).…”

Perceived Body Weight Status of Youngsters Interferes With Headache in Obese and Non‐Obese Subjects

“…1 In our review, we summarized the existing, general population epidemiological data on the migraine-obesity association. In summary, the population data suggest that migraine is comorbid with obesity and that this increased risk of migraine in Headache…”

1. Cortical functional correlates of responsiveness to short-lasting preventive intervention with ketogenic diet in migraine: A multimodal evoked potentials study

“…In recent decades, specific dietetic interventions raised the interest of experts in the field of headaches. The evidence for an association between migraine, obesity [4,5], and metabolic syndromes such as insulin resistance [6,7] has supported this approach because they could be improved via specific dietary patterns.…”