Fat can accumulate in human bronchi, study says

October 21, 2019  21:20

People with obesity and overweight face fat accumulating not only in the waist, but also in the respiratory tract, the authors of a new study, which was published in the European Respiratory Journal, found out.

This finding may explain why health problems like asthma are more common or more severe in people who are obese and overweight.

A group of researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Canada examined under a microscope a total of more than 1300 lung wall samples taken from 52 people. Some of them died of asthma, others suffered from asthma, but died of causes unrelated to asthma, while others did not have asthma at all.

Scientists found adipose tissue in the lungs in all three groups, but those who were overweight and obese had on average more fat in their lungs than everyone else. As BMI (body mass index) increased, the likelihood of an increase in the amount of fat in the lungs increased. And an increase in BMI, along with the accumulation of fat in the lungs, is associated with thickening and inflammation of the airways.

According to the authors, their results not only do not contradict the theories available today that explain the relationship between obesity and respiratory problems, but also supplement them, offering a new explanation.

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