The researchers reported that being overweight or obese increased the likelihood of headache by nearly twofold.
The study results are reported in the medical journal Cephalalgia.
Extra pounds may boost risk of severe headaches
Doctors at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed nearly 87,000 men and women 20 years of age or older from 1999 to 2002.
Overall, about 15 percent of the men and 28 percent of the women reported they had severe headaches or migraines during the previous three months.
