Too fat or too thin, extreme weights are a risk factor for migraineaccording to the results of a study published in the medical journal Neurology.
Researchers from TH Chan School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University in the USA, L’Aquila University in Italy and Queensland (Australia) carried out a meta-analysis of 12 studies with 300,000 people.
Extreme weight promotes migraines
This new study has revealed a link betweenobesity and migraines. This association could be similar to the link between migraines and ischemic heart disease, due to poor blood circulation.
Researchers found that obese people were 27% more likely to have migraines than people who were of normal weight. Similarly, individuals who were underweight were 13% more prone to migraines.
The researchers used standard definitions ofobesitya body mass index (BMI) 30 or more, underweight, BMI less than 18.5.
The change in fatty tissue that occurs with weight gain or extreme weight loss alters the function and production of several proteins and hormones by changing the inflammatory environment in the body.
“We cannot explain with certainty how body composition affects migraine risk. But, adipose tissue is an endocrine organ and like other endocrine organs, such as the thyroid, it can cause problems,” says Lee Peterlin, study author and director of research at the School of Medicine. Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Physicians should be aware that excessive weight and extreme thinness are not good for people with migraineand that maintaining a healthy weight can reduce this risk.
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