Seeking natural remedies for migraine pain may be more important than ever, as a study has found that the condition may not only be associated with a lower quality of life, but may increase the risk of death from heart disease or stroke.

Scientists from Iceland analyzed the migraine history of 18,725 people born between 1907 and 1935 who took part in the Reykjavik Study launched by the Icelandic Heart Association (IHA) in 1967 to assess heart disease in the country. Larus Gudmundsson and his colleagues found that individuals who suffered from migraine with aura had a higher risk of dying from all causes, including heart disease and stroke, while those with a “regular” migraine did not.

However, the researchers do not want to cause unwarranted concern among migraine sufferers. They stress that the individual risk is still low, and that you may reduce the chances of developing heart disease if you quit smoking and control blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

The results were published in the British Medical Journal.