Study: Migraine Symptoms Improve With Weight Loss

Children and adults with obesity who lose weight may experience a reduction in migraine frequency and severity, according to findings of a new study.

By searching the PubMed/Medline database, the Web of Science (formerly known as the Institute for Scientific Information Web of Knowledge), and Google Scholar, the researchers identified 10 studies that comprised 473 participants. 

The researchers assessed the data for the following outcomes: headache frequency, pain severity, disability, and attack duration. Meanwhile, body mass index (BMI), BMI change, type of intervention (bariatric vs behavioral), and type of population (adult vs pediatric) were used for moderators and meta-regression analysis.

Weight loss was associated with significant reductions in headache frequency, pain severity, disability, and attack duration. 

According to the researchers, the association is independent of weight loss intervention type, the degree of obesity at baseline, and the amount of weight lost. The effects were also similar between adult and pediatric patients. 

“The mechanisms underlying the link between obesity, weight loss, and migraine headache may include chronic inflammation, obesity comorbidities, and overlapping behavioral and psychological risk factors,” the researchers concluded.

—Colleen Murphy

Reference:

Di Vincenzo A, Beghetto M, Vettor R, et al. Effects of surgical and non-surgical weight loss on migraine headache: a systematic review and meta-analysis [published online February 1, 2020]. Obes Surg. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11695-020-04429-z.