Many studies have proved that obesity increases the risk for developing asthma. But can it make asthma worse once you have asthma? There seems to be conflicting evidence on that fact.
A few months back, I reported on a study out of Emory University in Atlanta whose findings suggested that obese people who had asthma were more likely to be having asthma symptoms, were less likely to be in remission, and were more likely to have severe persistent asthma.
But now a new study provides evidence that directly contradicts those findings. Dr. Jason McKinney, from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas conducted a study to look both at whether obesity influences either asthma severity or quality of life. Here are the highlights of the study:
1. 473 children and 429 adults with asthma were evaluated
2. Body mass index, or BMI for short, was used as a measure of obesity
3. 37% of the children and 58% of the adults were defined as overweight or obese
4. Data about asthma severity, lung function, medication use and quality of life was examined
Researchers found that there was no link between BMI and asthma severity, lung function, medication use or quality of life in the children. In the adults, however, they found that the higher the BMI, the poorer the lung function and quality of life. BMI was not found to increase asthma severity or increase the use of asthma medications, however.
So what are we to think? Who knows! What is certain is that it is unhealthy to be overweight. It increases your risk for many diseases and health problems, both in the moment and into the future. So, whether the final conclusion is that obesity does or does not affect asthma severity, it will still benefit your health to lose weight if you are overweight.
