How much food you put in your mouth may go right to your head. And it won’t feel very good either. A growing body of research shows a link between obesity and the frequency of headaches.
Studies reveal that overweight people tend to have more headaches than those at or near their normal weight. The severity of headaches also appears to increase along with expanding waistlines. One study at the New England Center for Headache involved interviews with more than 30,000 people. Researchers found seriously obese people suffered twice as many headaches as their normal weight counterparts. It appears that obesity causes inflammation of blood vessels, which leads to headaches.
Another study reveals that headaches are more frequent and severe in overweight children. The research was conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
Doctors analyzed more than 900 young patients and concluded there is a definite link between childhood obesity and headaches.
The Cincinnati study could not determine that obesity actually causes headaches. But researchers concluded pediatricians should consider a child’s weight when searching for a treatment to headaches. It may be one more good reason to keep your weight, and you child’s weight, under control.