Unhealthy lifestyle choices increase the risk of recurrent headaches in teens.

Almost 6000 teens in Norway experienced more recurrent headaches if they smoked, were overweight, and inactive. This cross-sectional study found, after controlling for confounders, that those who smoked had a 50% increased risk for headaches (migraine, tension and unclassified); overweight, a 40% increased risk, and lack of physical activity conferred a 20% increase in risk. The more unhealthy habits the teen had, the greater they were at risk for headaches.

PositiveTip: A healthy lifestyle in teens (and most likely adults, also) lowers the risk for recurrent headaches of all types.