A study published in CHEST (130:890-895) showed a link between obesity and increased risk of developing asthma. One unit of increased body mass index (BMI) upped a woman’s risk of developing asthma by 6 percent (3 percent for men). The study also suggests that obesity is more likely to be associated with non-allergic asthma, which is more common in women. Obese non-allergic women had a 9.5 percent asthma risk compared with 3.1 percent risk for non-allergic women who had a “normal” weight.

The equation used to calculate your BMI is weight (lb) / [height (in)] 2 x 703. Or visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site at www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/bmi to have them do the math for you. (They offer a different equation for BMI in children and teens.)

First published:  The MA Report, October 2007

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