Obese individuals are at risk for numerous medical conditions including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, arthritis and cancer. However, recent research, such as the long-standing and ongoing Nurses' Health Study, suggests that a link between respiratory disease and obesity also exists.
Obesity
When an individual's body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30, he or she is considered obese. Obesity is a term used to describe excessive, unhealthy body weight. This differs from the terms "overweight," which is used to describe individuals with a BMI greater than 25, but still lower than 30, and "morbidly obese," which refers to individuals who have a BMI greater than 40 or are more than 100 pounds overweight. It is estimated that 1 billion people around the world are overweight or obese. Treatment for obesity includes weight reduction, usually through diet and exercise.
Lung Disease
Lung disease is a collective term referring to problems and diseases associated with the respiratory system, such as asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer, sleep apnea, tuberculosis, pneumonia and other lung-related or breathing issues. Presently, lung disease is the number three cause of death in America and the leading cause of death in infants and children under the age of 1.
Obesity's Effect on Respiratory Function
The accumulation of body fat due to a higher BMI impairs breathing in obese individuals and cause weakness in respiratory muscles. Specifically, the demand on the respiratory muscles is greater due to the excess body weight, while the respiratory muscles capacity to generate tension is smaller, also due to the excess weight. This results in an imbalance of cardiorespiratory fitness.
Asthma and Obesity
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway and commonly seen in obese individuals. According to Paula J. Anderson, M.D., from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, leptin may explanation with many obese individuals are also diagnosed with asthma. Leptin levels are high in obese and asthma patients and weight loss helps control leptin levels. Additionally, fat tissues produce inflammatory mediators. This understanding suggests there may be an immunologic link between obesity and asthma. Additionally, a Norwegian study lasting 21 years followed 135,000 subjects to determine whether there was a link between asthma and obesity. In the study, men with a BMI over 25 were at risk for asthma by 10 percent for every BMI unit increase. Women with a BMI over 25 were also at risk, by 7 percent, for every BMI unit increase. At the end of the study, researchers concluded a connection between asthma and obesity exists and that the incidence of asthma is related to preexisting obesity and not diet, exercise or smoking.
COPD and Obesity
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD for short, is a collective term referring to both chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD is characterized by limited airflow that is not fully reversible. COPD patients tend to have sedentary lifestyles which can contribute to obesity. Obese and sedentary individuals are also at risk for a loss of muscle mass which contributes to COPD-related deaths. Additionally, COPD is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is often seen in conjunction with obesity.
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