Obese individuals are thrice at the risk of asthma compared to normal weight people, study suggests.
A new study confirms a link between obesity and asthma.
A number of studies have shown an association between obesity and asthma, both of which have become much more common over the past three decades. To investigate whether there is an association of obesity and insulin resistance with asthma and atopy prevalence, researchers looked at 4,500 men and women from the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2005-2006. About a third were overweight, and another third were obese. Forty-one percent had some type of allergy, while 8 percent had asthma. The researchers wanted to tease out those rates because allergy and asthma are related in some people.
Twelve percent of the obese individuals had asthma, compared to six percent of the normal-weight study participants. And the likelihood of asthma rose as the body mass index - BMI, a relation of weight and height used to gauge obesity - increased and waist circumferences expanded. The risk of asthma was more than tripled for the most obese individuals compared to normal weight people.
Thirty-seven percent were either diabetic or had insulin resistance. The study did not find any evidence, however, that insulin resistance was responsible for the relationship, and allergy was not related to either weight or insulin resistance.
But the reason why the two might be related is still not clear. Some researchers have suggested the system-wide, low-grade inflammation that occurs with obesity may be a factor, while others have argued that resistance to the key blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin - which rises with excess weight - is the reason for the link. That resistance often foretells the onset of diabetes.
The findings don't rule out the possibility that insulin may be a link between obesity and asthma.
A number of studies have shown an association between obesity and asthma, both of which have become much more common over the past three decades. To investigate whether there is an association of obesity and insulin resistance with asthma and atopy prevalence, researchers looked at 4,500 men and women from the American National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2005-2006. About a third were overweight, and another third were obese. Forty-one percent had some type of allergy, while 8 percent had asthma. The researchers wanted to tease out those rates because allergy and asthma are related in some people.
Twelve percent of the obese individuals had asthma, compared to six percent of the normal-weight study participants. And the likelihood of asthma rose as the body mass index - BMI, a relation of weight and height used to gauge obesity - increased and waist circumferences expanded. The risk of asthma was more than tripled for the most obese individuals compared to normal weight people.
Thirty-seven percent were either diabetic or had insulin resistance. The study did not find any evidence, however, that insulin resistance was responsible for the relationship, and allergy was not related to either weight or insulin resistance.
But the reason why the two might be related is still not clear. Some researchers have suggested the system-wide, low-grade inflammation that occurs with obesity may be a factor, while others have argued that resistance to the key blood-sugar-regulating hormone insulin - which rises with excess weight - is the reason for the link. That resistance often foretells the onset of diabetes.
The findings don't rule out the possibility that insulin may be a link between obesity and asthma.
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