Lung function naturally declines throughout a person's life. However, this decline is more dramatic in people who experience moderate to high weight gain.. A new study was conducted by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) that analyzed the impact of weight changes on respiratory health over a 20-year period..

The study, published in the journal Thorax, was based on data collected from 3,700 participants across Europe and Australia, recruited between the ages of 20 and 44.. Participants had multiple weight and lung function measurements – via spirometry – between 1991 and 2014. “While previous studies have shown that weight gain is associated with worse lung function. Our study is the first to analyze such a diverse sample of the population over a longer period of time,” commented Judith Garcia Aymerich, Research Director and Program Manager, Noncommunicable Diseases and the Environment at ISGlobal. Most of the earlier studies had relatively short follow-up periods of no more than ten years and focused on adults under the age of 50..

The study found that people with a body mass index within recommended limits, overweight people, and obese people experienced an accelerated decline in lung function when they gained weight.. Conversely, weight loss helped attenuate decline in lung function in obese people.. In addition, people who maintained their weight throughout adulthood experienced much less deterioration in respiratory health..

Two mechanisms may explain the link between weight gain and lung health. First, weight gain can affect lung function through mechanical action.. “The mass of fat in the abdomen and thorax is likely to limit the space for the lungs to expand during inhalation,” commented ISGlobal researcher Gabriela Prado Peralta, lead author of the study.. Second, weight gain can impair lung function through inflammation, as adipose tissue—the area where fat accumulates—is a source of inflammatory substances that can damage lung tissue and reduce airway diameter..

Maintaining good lung function into adulthood is critical to preventing chronic respiratory disease, which is currently a major public health problem worldwide.. “Given the epidemic levels of overweight and obesity that we are currently seeing, it is critical to understand the impact of changes in weight on lung function, which is a powerful predictor of morbidity and mortality in the general population,” commented Garcia Aymerich.. “The good news is that the negative effects on lung health from being overweight and obese can be reversed through weight loss.. Therefore, a public health policy that promotes healthy lifestyles can be the key to achieving good lung health.”.

The study was part of the study Lung Aging in European Cohorts (ALEC), coordinated by Imperial College London.. It was funded by the Horizon 2020 research and innovation program of the European Union.

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