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By Henry J. Fishman, M.D.
ConsumerAffairs.com
September 23, 2005
We’ve got two major epidemics in this country going on at the same time: asthma and obesity. So are they connected?
We don't know for sure. Here’s what we do know. More heavy folk have asthma symptoms and asthma than thin folks.
A number of studies have shown the association is greater in women than men and may actually only apply to women.
Beginning in childhood, women with high metabolism indices -- heavy women -- have a stronger association with asthma than men.
A study of 1,000 kids found an association between asthma and being heavy only in girls. The relationship of asthma and obesity in women is highest in women who experienced their period early, suggesting a role for hormones in heavy asthmatic women.
Finally studies have found that heavy women who lose weight improve their asthma though it may simply be that they don’t have to breathe as hard.
We don’t know why obesity and asthma are connected particularly in women. It may be due to hormones. We need a lot more study on the topic.
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