Behavioral Weight Loss as a Treatment for Migraine in Obese Women

August 30, 2021 updated by: The Miriam Hospital
This study involves a randomized controlled trial to test the efficacy of behavioral weight loss as a treatment for migraine in obese females aged 18 to 50 years. The primary aim is to examine whether participants assigned to a behavioral weight loss treatment condition report greater pre- to post-treatment reductions in migraine headache frequency than participants assigned to a migraine education condition.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Migraine is a highly prevalent, debilitating and costly disorder. Eighteen percent of women and 6% of men are affected by migraine; a neurovascular disorder characterized by severe recurrent headache pain episodes involving nausea, photophobia, phonophobia and aversion to physical activity.

There is increasing evidence that obesity exacerbates migraine. Obesity is associated with more frequent headaches in episodic migraineurs, and is a risk factor for progression to chronic migraine. Several plausible mechanisms have been proposed to underlie the migraine-obesity link including common pro-inflammatory processes, psychological conditions that are comorbid to both disorders (e.g., depression), and similar behavioral risk factors (e.g., low physical activity and high fat intake).

No research to date has examined the impact of standard behavioral weight loss programs on migraine in obese adults. Behavioral weight loss programs focused on improving diet and physical activity consistently produce weight losses of 8-10 kg at 6 months which reduces the risk of diabetes and improves cardiovascular disease risk factors. Weight loss may also improve each of the physiological, psychological, and behavioral pathways that purportedly link migraine and obesity. Thus, behavioral weight loss programs may serve as an innovative approach to treating migraine headaches.

This study involves a randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of behavioral weight loss as a treatment for migraine. One hundred and forty obese females who meet research criteria for migraine, as confirmed by a study neurologist and completion of an electronic headache diary will be assigned to 16 weekly group sessions of either: (1) Behavioral weight loss (BWL) treatment (n=70) or (2) Healthy Living for Migraine Relief (HLMR) education (n=70). BWL will provide a combination of empirically validated diet and exercise prescriptions and behavior change strategies such as self-monitoring, goal-setting and stimulus control. HLMR will provide education on migraine and pharmacological and behavioral (e.g., stress management) treatments. Both groups will use smartphones to record their headaches for 4 weeks at a time during pre-treatment, post-treatment, and the end of a 16-week weight maintenance period. Weight and other potential physiological (inflammation), psychological (depression), and behavioral (diet and physical activity) mediators of the treatment effect will be assessed at the end of treatment for tests of prospective effects on migraine days at post-treatment. The primary hypothesis is that BWL participants will report greater pre- to post-treatment reductions in number of migraine days than HLMR participants.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

112

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02903
        • The Miriam Hospital Weight Control and Diabetes Research Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years to 50 years (Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion criteria:

  • Neurologist-confirmed diagnosis of migraine with or without aura
  • Experience at least 3 headaches and 4-20 headache days per month
  • Body Mass Index of 25.0-49.9 kg/m2

Exclusion criteria:

  • Have primary headache disorder other than migraine or tension-type headache
  • Have both migraine and tension-type headache and are unable to distinguish the two headache types and/or report 2 or more tension-type headaches per month
  • Have a secondary headache disorder
  • Have initiated or changed prophylactic medications within 2 months of study entry, or intend to change these medications during the trial
  • Have changed medications used to abort migraine attacks, treat depression, or provide oral contraception within 2 months of study entry, or intend to change these medications during the trial.
  • Have experienced recent weight loss (>=5% within the past 6 months), are currently involved in a commercial weight loss program, are presently taking weight loss medications, or have had bariatric surgery.
  • Are pregnant, were pregnant within the last 6 months, or plan to become pregnant during the trial.
  • Report a heart condition, chest pain during periods of activity or rest, or loss of consciousness on the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire. Individuals reporting joint problems, prescription medication usage, or other medical conditions that could limit exercise participation will be required to obtain written physician consent to participate.
  • Have been diagnosed with cancer or are currently undergoing cancer treatment.
  • Are unable to read or understand the study materials.
  • Report any condition that in the opinion of investigators would reduce the likelihood of adherence to the headache monitoring protocol or clinical trial prescriptions, including terminal illness, planning to relocate, or a history of substance abuse, bulimia nervosa, or other significant psychiatric problems.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Behavioral weight loss
Behavioral: Behavioral Weight Loss Intervention
Participants assigned to this condition will receive an intensive group-based lifestyle program modeled after the DPP and Look AHEAD trials. Participants will attend 16 weekly sessions involving provision of behavioral goals and strategies to modify diet and exercise behaviors in order to achieve a weight loss of at least 7% of initial body weight.
Active Comparator: Migraine Education
Other: Migraine Education
Participants assigned to this condition (Healthy Living for Migraine Relief [HLMR]) will receive basic education and didactic instruction in migraine headaches and treatments that are the standard of care. Participants will attend 4 months of weekly group lectures focused on 3 different major topic areas: 1) migraine symptomatology and pathophysiology, 2) standard abortive and preventive pharmacological treatment options, and 3) standard and alternative non-pharmacological treatment options.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in the number of migraine headache days
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment, end of 16-week weight maintenance period
Measured via 28-day mobile smartphone headache diary
Baseline, end of treatment, end of 16-week weight maintenance period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in body weight
Time Frame: baseline, end of treatment, end of 16-week weight maintenance period
baseline, end of treatment, end of 16-week weight maintenance period
Changes in serum inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, Interleukin-6)
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment
Changes in inflammation will be tested as a mediator of the treatment effect.
Baseline, end of treatment
Changes in depression
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment
Changes in depressive symptoms will be tested as a mediator of the treatment effect.
Baseline, end of treatment
Changes in physical activity
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment
Physical activity will be objectively assessed via a multi-sensor monitor. Changes in physical activity will be tested as a mediator of the treatment effect.
Baseline, end of treatment
Changes in fat intake and other diet/eating behavior components
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment
Diet and eating behavior will be measured via a multi-call 24 hour dietary recall procedure. Changes in fat intake will be tested as as mediator of the treatment effect.
Baseline, end of treatment

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Changes in additional migraine headache parameters
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment
Additional headache parameters include daily headache activity (severity and duration of attacks, clinical features (photophobia, phonophobia, nausea), abortive medication usage, allodynia, and headache management self-efficacy.
Baseline, end of treatment
Changes in waist circumference and cardiometabolic risk factors
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment
Cardiometabolic risk factors will include systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin sensitivity.
Baseline, end of treatment
Changes in anxiety symptoms and level of psychological stress.
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment
Baseline, end of treatment
Changes in sleep quality
Time Frame: Baseline, end of treatment
Sleep duration and quality will be assessed via self-report and objectively using a multi-sensor monitor.
Baseline, end of treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

The Miriam Hospital

Collaborators

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Dale S. Bond, Ph.D., The Miriam Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

June 1, 2012

Primary Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

December 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 7, 2010

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 7, 2010

First Posted (Estimate)

September 9, 2010

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

August 31, 2021

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 30, 2021

Last Verified

September 1, 2016

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 0068-10
  • R01NS077925-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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