Belly fat increases asthma risk
People who have excessive belly fat are not only at higher risks for diabetes and heart disease but may also be at a greater odd to developing asthma as well.
A group of Norwegian researchers tested overall obesity and central obesity rates in more than 23,000 adults aged 19 to 55, who were asthma free and followed them to see if they developed the respiratory condition.
Findings revealed people who were centrally obese but not overall obese were almost 1.5 times more likely to develop asthma compared to those who were not obese, EurekAlert reported.
According to the report presented at the European Respiratory Society’s Annual Congress in Amsterdam, those who were both centrally obese and obese overall had about 1.8 times higher risk of asthma than non-obese participants.
Previous findings had linked higher body mass index (BMI), a marker for overall obesity, and asthma, but the new study looked at waist circumference, which is a marker for central obesity.
The research is one of the first prospective studies to investigate the individual and combined effects of central and overall obesity on incident asthma in adults.
”Asthma can affect people of all sizes, but our study has highlighted both the individual and combined effect of central obesity and overall obesity on asthma development. Both these measures have an individual impact on asthma and an additive effect when they are combined,” said Ben Brumpton from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
”It is not yet clear why this association exists. Central obesity is closely associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. These factors may play important roles concerning central obesity-related asthma. We will evaluate the effects of these factors on the development of asthma in future studies."
Source: presstv.ir
