Obese people are 'drowning in their own fat', as it blocks airways in the lungs, study finds

Laura Donnelly | October 18, 2019

Obese people are drowning in their own fat, as it blocks airways in the lungs, research suggests. A new study provides the first evidence that fat can accumulate in the airway walls, hindering efforts to breathe.

Using dyes to help visualise the structures of 1,373 airways under a microscope, they identified and quantified any fatty tissue present.

The research team compared their data with each person's body mass index (BMI).

 

The study showed for the first time that fatty tissue accumulates in the walls of the airways.

 

The analysis revealed that the amount of fat present increases in line with increasing BMI.

 

The findings also suggests that the increase in fat alters the normal structure of the airways and leads to inflammation in the lungs.

 

Study co-author Dr Peter Noble, an Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia, 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."

 

The Australian team are looking for new ways to study and measure fatty tissue in the lungs.

They want to confirm the relationship with respiratory disease and to find out whether the effect can be reversed by weight loss therapy.

 

Professor Thierry Troosters, President of the European Respiratory Society, welcomed the findings.

 

He 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."

 

Prof Troosters added: "We need to investigate this finding in more detail and particularly whether this phenomenon can be reversed with weight loss.

 

"In the meantime, we should support asthma patients to help them achieve or maintain a healthy weight."

 

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. It also supports the immune system and help fight colds and viruses – a major trigger for 80 per cent of people with asthma.”

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References

Retrieved from Telegraph on October. 18, 2019. Laura Donnelly. "Obese people are 'drowning in their own fat', as it blocks airways in the lungs, study finds "