Obesity Itself Is Not The Key Risk Factor For Childhood Onset Of Asthma

New U.S. research has found that children with metabolic disorder who process fats or glucose abnormally, even if their weight is normal, are at greater risk of developing asthma. The abnormal metabolism may stem from a poor diet or lack of exercise, researchers said, noting that the findings belie commonly held assumptions that obesity itself is a risk factor for asthma. The researchers examined demographic data, estimates of body mass index (BMI), and asthma prevalence among 18,000 children 4–12 years old from West Virginia. Asthma prevalence generally increased with BMI. But simple overweight status did not appear to be linked to increased asthma occurrence, which was significantly associated with triglyceride levels and the presence of a biomarker for insulin resistance – independently of BMI.