Abstract
Asthma and overweight/obesity prevalence are both increasing worldwide. Overweight/obesity
has been suggested as a risk factor for developing asthma. The aim of this review
is to present and evaluate recent publications that help answer the question: “Is
increased body weight (at least overweight status) related to asthma in children?”
A systematic review of epidemiologic literature was carried out using the MEDLINE
database. Epidemiologic studies on young human subjects (ie, infants, children, and
adolescents), published in English during the period 2006-2011 were included. A comprehensive
literature search yielded 434 studies for further consideration. Forty-eight studies
fulfilled the review's eligibility criteria. Two researchers applied the MOOSE Guidelines
for Meta-Analysis and Systematic Reviews of Observational Studies on all identified
studies. Current evidence supports a weak yet significant association between high
body weight and asthma. New information indicates that central obesity in children
increases asthma risk. Also, the link between high body weight and asthma may be stronger
in nonallergic asthma. There are mixed results about the importance of sex. Although
the nature of the association between overweight/obese status and asthma remains unclear,
prospective studies point that high body weight precedes asthma symptoms. These data
add weight to the importance of preventing and treating a high body weight against
asthma outcomes. Available research in children has not studied adequately the influence
of weight change (either gain or loss) on asthma symptoms, an area of clinical importance.
Beyond energy control, the role of diet as a possible inflammatory stimulus warrants
further investigation. Limited data seem to favor the promotion of breastfeeding in
attenuating the overweight/obesity–asthma relationship. Finally, future research should
include weight intervention studies assessing various measures of body fat in relation
to well-defined asthma outcomes.
Keywords
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Biography
C. Papoutsakis is a teaching and research associate, Department of Nursing, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece; research associate, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece; and clinical dietitian, Municipal Medical Practice of Pefki, Athens, Greece.
Biography
K. N. Priftis is an assistant professor, First Department of Pediatrics, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Biography
M. Drakouli is a graduate student, Department of Nursing, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Biography
E. Konstantaki is a graduate student, Department of Nursing, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Biography
V. Matziou is an associate professor, Department of Nursing, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Biography
G. Antonogeorgos is a postdoctoral fellow, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
Biography
M. Chondronikola is a graduate student, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Preventative Medicine and Community Health, Galveston.
Biography
S. Prifti is a volunteer researcher, Athens, Greece.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 20, 2012
Accepted:
August 22,
2012
Footnotes
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
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