Being overweight, especially around the middle, may increase a woman's risk for developing asthma.
Being overweight, especially around the middle, may increase a woman's risk for developing asthma.
Researchers studied 88,304 American women to compare current and retired female teachers' self-reported 18-year old height and weight, and their later self-measured waist size. At the second measurement, the women ranged in age from younger than 40 to 70 years and older. Overall, roughly 13 percent of the women were obese, having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, and another 1.5 percent were extremely obese, having a BMI of 40 or more. BMI is a standard measure used to gauge how fat or thin a person is, and normal BMI ranges between 18.5 and 24.9.
It was found that women who were overweight or obese were much more apt to have asthma than women with a healthy weight. And regardless of a woman's weight, a large waist size - more than 88 centimetres or 34 inches - also raised their risk for asthma. Also, those who were obese were more likely to report urgent medical visits and hospital admission due to asthma.
All levels of obesity were strongly associated with having asthma. Even being modestly overweight was associated with higher asthma prevalence in this population. In addition, a large waist size was linked with a modest increase in asthma risk among women with a normal weight.
Researchers studied 88,304 American women to compare current and retired female teachers' self-reported 18-year old height and weight, and their later self-measured waist size. At the second measurement, the women ranged in age from younger than 40 to 70 years and older. Overall, roughly 13 percent of the women were obese, having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, and another 1.5 percent were extremely obese, having a BMI of 40 or more. BMI is a standard measure used to gauge how fat or thin a person is, and normal BMI ranges between 18.5 and 24.9.
It was found that women who were overweight or obese were much more apt to have asthma than women with a healthy weight. And regardless of a woman's weight, a large waist size - more than 88 centimetres or 34 inches - also raised their risk for asthma. Also, those who were obese were more likely to report urgent medical visits and hospital admission due to asthma.
All levels of obesity were strongly associated with having asthma. Even being modestly overweight was associated with higher asthma prevalence in this population. In addition, a large waist size was linked with a modest increase in asthma risk among women with a normal weight.
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