Scientists have now discovered a genetic link between obesity and asthma that could maybe go some way to explaining why a disproportionate number of people overweight suffer with asthma.
Doctors have long suspected a link between the two conditions but have been unsure whether being overweight leads to asthma or whether it was the other way round.
Dr's had previously believed that asthmatics were more likley to become obese because of the lack of ability to exercise effectively and it has also been said that obese people have a higher risk of becoming asthmatic because of the obesity leading to narrowing of the airways leading to breathing problems.
They have previously speculated that asthmatics are more likely to become obese because they tend to avoid exercise and lead a more sedentary lifestyle.
In the latest research, a team at the MRC-Asthma UK Centre at King's College London examined the cells in the lungs of asthmatics, and found that, in addition to producing proteins which cause asthma, the cells produced a protein that is known to increase appetite.
Dr David Cousins, who led the study, said that further research was needed to discover why not everyone with asthma became obese. He added that he hoped the findings could one day help to bring relief to the thousands of people of people who are diagnosed with asthma every year.
"Our study provides evidence for a possible mechanism linking obesity and asthma," he said.
"A lot more work needs to be done to find out what exactly is behind the link. We plan to look at possible genetic changes or variations of [the isolated gene] to see what role they play.
"This is very exciting because we hope that one day we will be able to block the proteins that cause asthma and an increase in appetite."
Asthma has reached epidemic proportions in Britain over the past few decades. One in 10 children, and one in 12 adults, suffer from the disorder, which costs the NHS about £889 million a year.
There were nearly 1,400 deaths from asthma in the UK in 2004, including 40 children aged 14 and under. On average, one person dies from the condition every six hours.
"An extremely exciting starting point" is how Jenny Versnel, the executive director of research and policy at Asthma UK, described the study's findings, which are being published today in the online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"As people with asthma aren't always obese, we need to establish the exact link between obesity and asthma," she said. "But the research is important because it could lead to asthma patients being given better advice about their diets."
Asthma affects the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs.
When a person with the condition comes into contact with a trigger - such as house dust, animals, cigarette smoke or pollen - the muscles around the walls of these airways tighten, making them narrower.
The rise in the number of people diagnosed with asthma has coincided with an explosion in the number of people classified as obese.
Latest figures show that obesity among two to 10-year-olds rose from 9.9 per cent in 1995 to 13.4 per cent in 2004.
Three years ago 4.3 million British men were estimated to be obese, which is classified as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or more. By 2010, it is expected that 6.6 million will be obese - an increase of more than 50 per cent.
Source Daily Telegraph 17th July 2007.
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