OBESITY clogs your lungs with fat – increasing the risk of deadly asthma, research suggests.
It has long been known that tubby people are at greater risk of the potentially killer breathing condition.
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Now for the first time, scientists have shown carrying too many pounds leads to fatty tissue accumulating in airway walls.
Researchers based in Australia suggest that fat deposits narrowing the airways could be a reason behind this previously unexplained increased risk.
The peer-review study published in the European Respiratory Journal, which is thought to be the first of its kind, found that excess fatty tissue changes the structure of people’s airways.
Researchers from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, and the University of Western Australia used samples from 52 people and examined 1,373 airways.
Under the microscope
They looked at the lungs of people who had died from asthma, as well as asthma sufferers who had died from other causes and a group of those without asthma to evaluate the impact of BMI on the airways.
Using the tissue samples and dyes, they microscopically examined the amount of fat in the lung tissue and compared that with the person’s BMI and medical history.
The researchers discovered a correlation between the amount of fat in the lungs and body weight.
It was known that fat accumulates around other organs including the liver, but there had previously been no research into the impact of excess fat on the airways.
Excess weight
Dr Peter Noble, associate professor at the University of Western Australia in Perth and co-author of the study, said: “Being overweight or obese has already been linked to having asthma or having worse asthma symptoms.
“Researchers have suggested that the link might be explained by the direct pressure of excess weight on the lungs or by a general increase in inflammation created by excess weight.
“This study suggests that another mechanism is also at play. We’ve found that excess fat accumulates in the airway walls where it takes up space and seems to increase inflammation within the lungs.
“We think this is causing a thickening of the airways that limits the flow of air in and out of the lungs, and that could at least partly explain an increase in asthma symptoms.”
What are the symptoms of asthma?
Asthma is a respiratory condition caused by inflammation of the breathing tubes that carry air to and from our lungs, and it currently affects over 5 million people across the UK.
According to the NHS, the main symptoms of asthma are:
- Wheezing (a whistling sound when breathing)
- Breathlessness
- A tight chest
- Coughing
Although the above symptoms can have a number of causes, they are likely signs of asthma if they happen regularly and keep coming back, are worse at night or early morning, or seem to be in response to an allergen.
The severity of the above symptoms can vary between different people.
When these symptoms suddenly worsen temporarily, it is known as an asthma attack.
Asthma attacks can be caused by allergens, such as animal fur or pollen, cold air, exercise, chest infections or other irritants – such as cigarette smoke.
Allergies and asthma often go together.
Asthma caused by an allergic reaction is known as ‘allergic asthma’.
There are now hopes that this initial finding will now lead to further studies on the relationship between asthma and high BMIs as well as research into whether the effects can be reversed by weight loss.
European Respiratory Society president Professor Thierry Troosters, who was not involved in the study, said: “This is an important finding on the relationship between body weight and respiratory disease because it shows how being overweight or obese might be making symptoms worse for people with asthma.
“This goes beyond the simple observation that patients with obesity need to breathe more with activity and exercise hence adding to their ventilatory burden. The observation points at true airway changes that are associated with obesity.”
Emma Rubach, Head of Health Advice at Asthma UK, said: “This study adds to growing evidence that if you are overweight it can make your asthma symptoms worse.
“If you struggle with your weight and have asthma, exercise is a great way to help manage your weight and can improve asthma symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and gasping for breath, which can lead to life-threatening asthma attacks.
“This is because getting active boosts your lung power and reduces breathlessness.
“You don’t need to run a marathon to be active with asthma, even doing gentle activity like gardening or going for a walk could improve your asthma symptoms.”
