Obese Kids More Likely To Have Headaches, Study Says

Migraines and headaches are more common in overweight children and teenagers, a new study has found. It is the first national study to look at possible links between obesity and headaches in kids.

Lead researcher Andrew Hershey, a pediatric neurologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center studied 913 children and teenagers for six months. The study found that chronic headaches are common in childhood, with the prevalence of one out of four to one out of 10 kids.

Heavy kids with headaches may have low leptin levels a hormone that causes a feeling of fullness after eating. This can encourage overeating suggesting a tie between their extra weight and headaches.

The more overweight a child is, the more headaches and the worse the pain, the author said adding that the effects of headache declined with the weight loss in many children. Helping kids get into the normal weight range could prevent years of pain and disability. The study is published online in the journal Headache.