Excess fat around the midsection has been linked to a number of conditions, like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Now, researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology believe that belly fat may also increase a person's chances of developing asthma.
In a study, a team of scientists found that people with a large waist circumference, also known as central obesity, were 1.81 times more likely to have asthma, compared to people of normal weight. Individuals who were overall obese, but not centrally obese, had asthma at 1.44 times the rate of their slimmer counterparts.
"Asthma can affect people of all sizes, but our study has highlighted both the individual and combined effect of central obesity and overall obesity on asthma development. Both these measures have an individual impact on asthma and an additive effect when they are combined," said researcher Ben Brumpton.
In order to reach their conclusions, the researchers examined the health data of 23,245 people aged 18 to 55 over the course of 11 years. The volunteers were all part of a second installment of the Norwegian Nord-Trondelag Health Study (HUNT).
Author and trailblazer Ilchi Lee believes that personal growth and development can only be achieved when a person is able to attain optimal physical, mental and spiritual health. Results of this study add further weight to theories that illness in one aspect of a person's well-being may lead to poor health in another.
Lee says that a personal growth plan for enlightenment and fulfillment is an effort worth taking, though these journeys are not typically easy. However, difficult endeavors are often the ones that matter the most.
