eMedicineLive

Central obesity, better known as "belly fat" in the common parlance has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of asthma. This is the important conclusion drawn from a study presented at the European Respiratory Society’s Annual Congress in Amsterdam. Weight in the abdominal region has been associated with a number of diseases, e.g. diabetes and heart attack but its association with asthma was a completely new aspect that has come to light.

 

The researchers selected 23,245 adults between the ages of 19 and 55 years from the second Norwegian Nord- Trondelag Health Study (HUNT). None of these adults had symptoms of asthma at the onset of the study. Their BMI and waist circumference were measured to calculate overall and central obesity respectively. The participants were followed for a period of 11 years during which they were asked to report any sign of asthma. The researchers found that those participants who had central obesity but were not obese otherwise, had a 1.44 times increased risk of suffering from asthma. Similarly, if a participant had central obesity in addition to being overall obese had a 1.81 times more likelihood of developing asthma.

 

Earlier studies had found an association between a high BMI and chances of developing asthma. However, this study was the first of its kind to find an association between central obesity and asthma. Likewise it was the first time that the combined effect of central and overall obesity was measured and linked to the development of a disease. Researchers have yet to find the reason behind the increased chances of asthma in people with an increased waist circumference. A few researchers have hypothesized that an increased waist circumference is associated with increased insulin resistance and development of metabolic syndrome, and somehow these factors may put individuals with central obesity at an increased risk of developing asthma. However, the exact mechanism behind this association is a subject for future studies.

 

References:

 

---

• 19/05/2012 20:07 - Innate Immune Response during Infancy may predict Acute Respiratory Tract Illness later on
• 18/05/2012 19:05 - Adding Micronutrients in the Prenatal Diet can lower Child Mortality Rates
• 17/05/2012 19:14 - Mechanism behind Development of Tinnitus following Exposure to Loud Sounds Identified
• 16/05/2012 18:41 - Metastatic Risk of Uveal Melanoma can be predicted by Gene Expression Profiling
• 11/05/2012 18:29 - Behavioral Counseling can encourage Sun Protective Behavior among the Young Population

• 06/03/2012 14:29 - Nebulized Hypertonic Saline Improves Lung Function in Bronchiectasis.
• 16/02/2012 13:28 - Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Women more likely to respond to ERA therapy
• 16/02/2012 13:24 - Tiotropium reduces mortality in COPD patients
• 17/01/2012 19:25 - Vitamin D Supplementation does not reduce Exacerbations of COPD
• 08/10/2011 19:40 - Hormone Replacement Therapy Linked with Increased Severity of Asthma Attacks

• 06/09/2011 18:24 - Azithromycin Useful in Treating Exacerbations of COPD but may be Associated with Hearing Loss in Few
• 02/07/2011 18:36 - Efficacy of Pirfenidone in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
• 18/05/2011 13:35 - Causes of Hemoptysis
• 16/05/2011 16:43 - Management of Massive Hemoptysis
• 16/05/2011 01:23 - A New Class of Drugs Effective against Asthma and COPD Found

---