When they compiled all of the results and adjusted for age and sex, they found that obese people were 27 per cent more likely to have migraine than people of normal weight.

People who were underweight, meanwhile, were 13 per cent more likely to have migraine than people of normal weight.

In the study, obesity was defined as a BMI of 30 or higher while underweight was defined as a BMI of less than 18.5.

Study author Dr Lee Peterlin, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the US, said: "As obesity and being underweight are potentially modifiable risk factors for migraine, awareness of these risk factors is vital for both people with migraine and doctors.

"More research is needed to determine whether efforts to help people lose or gain weight could lower their risk for migraine."

Dr Peterlin said the risk between obesity and migraine was moderate and similar in size to the link between migraine and bipolar disorders and ischemic heart disease, a condition of recurring chest pain or discomfort when part of the heart doesn't receive enough blood.