The body mass index increases the risk of asthma

The more overweight the children, the greater the risk of asthma

08/12/2014

The more overweight a child has, the higher the risk that he or she will suffer from asthma. This report, according to the news agency „dpa“ the pulmonary doctors from the Federal Association of Pulmonologists (BdP) from Heidenheim. Accordingly, a recent study has confirmed that fat children not only more often suffer from cardiovascular disease and joint problems, but with rising body mass index apparently also develop faster lung disease than normal-weight peers.

15 percent of all 3- to 17-year-olds are overweight
Overweight among children is becoming an ever greater problem. According to the Federal Center for Health Education (BzgA), the number of overweight children has been increasing worldwide since the beginning of the 1980s. In Germany alone, 15% of all 3- to 17-year-olds are overweight, and one in two is even very strong. It's not just about overweight anymore „beauty ideals“, on the contrary, it has an increasing impact on the health and development of children. On the one hand, too much weight raises blood pressure, promotes diabetes and thus increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases even at a young age. In addition, but also have the bones „hard to carry“, The high weight, especially for the joints of the feet, knees and hips, is a heavy burden, which often leads to wear disorders.

Increased proportion of fatty tissue promotes inflammatory processes
But these do not seem to be the only physical problems that overweight children face. For as the pulmonary physicians from the Federal Association of Pulmonologists (BdP) in Heidenheim report, citing a recent study report, increases with increasing body mass index and the risk of developing bronchial asthma. Accordingly, the risk of lung disease is the more pronounced, the more excess kilos a child brings on the scales - regardless of social background or the degree of movement. A serious problem, because according to the BzgA especially the overweight children are getting heavier. The body mass index (BMI) is calculated from the body weight in kilograms, which is divided by the square of the height in meters. When „overweight“ According to the BzgA, children and adolescents between the ages of 7 and 18, depending on their height, are between 18.5 and 27.7. According to the BdP, the increase in BMI also increases the proportion of adipose tissue, which would also intensify inflammatory processes in the body - which in turn further reduces the burden of bronchial asthma.

Overweight due to diet change and regular exercise
Accordingly, too heavy children and adolescents on the advice of the BdP should necessarily reduce their weight through a change in diet and regular exercise. Even children who are already suffering from asthma, could affect their health in this way positive, especially useful here, for example, sports such as swimming, inline skating, cycling or hiking. It is important, however, to seek medical advice in advance and to intensify the training slowly, also should be paid to regular regeneration, so as not to overtax the body. (No)