People who carry extra fat around their middle are more likely to have migraines than people with smaller waistlines, a new study suggests.

Researchers looked at more than 22,000 people who were asked to report whether they suffered from either migraines or severe headaches. Then the researchers measured participants' waist circumference and overall obesity.

About 37 per cent of women between the ages of 20 and 55 who had excess fat around the belly reported migraines, compared to 29 per cent without midriff fat.

In men 20 to 55 years old, 20 per cent of those with what is known as abdominal obesity reported migraines, compared to 16 per cent of those without excess belly fat.

"These results, while still in the early stages, suggest that losing weight in the stomach area may be beneficial for younger people who experience migraine — and especially so for women," said study author B. Lee Peterlin, of Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. The study, released Friday, will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's April meeting.

"For some diseases, including heart disease and diabetes, excess fat around the waistline appears to be a stronger risk factor than total body obesity," Peterlin said.

An estimated 3.5 million Canadians suffer from migraines, usually defined as a debilitating headache, often on one side of the head or behind one eye, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound and visual disturbances such as small travelling lights or shaky, jagged, mirage-like lines.