|
||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||
|
Allergy & Asthma Advocate: Summer 2005
The link between asthma and obesity
So, which comes first, the fat or the wheeze? Most have presumed that the asthma comes first, limiting activity, making it difficult to exercise, leading to obesity. Or does the obesity come first. Obesity makes it harder to breathe. Because of the extra fat, the respiratory muscles have to work harder to move air in and out. The chest wall does not move as easily as it should. This can cause shortness of breath and wheezing in some individuals. Some researchers think that excess fat can compress the airways and makes them more reactive to cold air, viral and other asthma triggers. The heavier you are the more likely you are to get asthma. A recent study in the United Kingdom showed that obese children were 77% more likely to have asthma. In the U.S., male and female Hispanic children of all ages with asthma were more likely to be overweight. Another study, The Tucson Children’s Respiratory Study, has found that girls who become obese between the ages of 6-11 may have a seven fold increase risk of developing asthma. The Third National Heath and Nutrition Examination Survey found that asthma, television watching and BMI (body mass index, a measure of total body fat) each independently predict the development of youth obesity. So, our sedentary life style may set our children up to develop both asthma and obesity. There is a long-standing myth that patients with asthma should not exercise. In fact, this myth could be responsible for the obesity asthma connection. Several studies have shown that a person’s weight is a potentially modifiable risk factor in managing asthma. Loose weight and your asthma may improve. There may even be improvement without weight loss just by exercising and becoming more fit. Some research suggests that obesity may trigger asthma via a hormonally mediated mechanism. Women are affected with asthma more than men. According to the CDC, women are 7% more likely to have asthma then men. Asthma is a disease of women but especially of obese women. In a Canadian study, the relative risk of developing asthma in obese men was 1.1, in obese women 1.9. This means that if you are an obese woman you are much more likely to also develop asthma. There may be more than just sex hormones at play. Leptin is a hormone that regulates eating behavior. Researchers in Japan have found elevated levels of leptin in children with elevated IgE, asthma and obesity. Further studies are ongoing. There is no doubt that asthma and obesity are serious chronic illnesses in our country today. If you suffer from both diseases, studies suggest starting an exercise program and weight reduction along with a good asthma control plan can help to improve your quality of life. The research is not yet complete on the why’s and how’s. Don’t use this as an excuse. Get fit! Your asthma may benefit.
|
|||||||||||||
|
© 1996-2008 · All Rights Reserved · American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology |
||||||||||||||
Asthma and obesity are two common disorders in the United States today. Asthma affects 20 million Americans. Obesity affects 61 million. More and more patients develop each disorder every year. There is a growing body of medical literature that suggests that these two common problems are connected. Although there appears to be a connection between asthma and obesity, no one is sure what the exact association is. Is obesity causing asthma or is asthma causing obesity? Or is it they are just two common medical conditions that happen to coexist?