Abstract
BackgroundData describing the effects of weight change across adulthood on asthma are important for the prevention of asthma. This study aimed to investigate the association between weight change from early to middle adulthood and risk of incident asthma.MethodsUsing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we performed a nationally retrospective cohort study of the U.S. general population. A total of 20,771 people aged 40–74 years with recalled weight at young and middle adulthood were included in the cohort. Four weight change groups were categorized: stable non-obesity, non-obesity to obesity, obesity to non-obesity, and stable obesity. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) relating weight change to incident asthma over 10 years of follow-up were calculated using Cox models adjusting for covariates.ResultsCompared with the stable non-obesity group, the HRs of incident asthma were 1.63 (95% CI = 1.29 to 2.07, P < 0.001) for the non-obesity to obesity group, 1.41 (95% CI = 0.97 to 2.05, P = 0.075) for stable obesity group, and 1.21 (95% CI = 0.41 to 3.62, P = 0.730) for the obesity to non-obesity group. In addition, participants who gained more than 20 kg from young to middle adulthood had a HR of 1.53 (95% CI = 1.15 to 2.03, P = 0.004), compared with those whose weight remained stable (weight change within 2.5 kg).ConclusionsWeight gain from early to middle adulthood was associated with higher risk of incident asthma as compared to those who maintained normal weight. Thus, maintaining normal weight throughout adulthood might be important for the primary prevention of adult-onset asthma.
Highlights
Asthma and obesity are major public health problems that have increased in the past decades
Regarding life-course weight change, 75.2% of the participants were in the stable non-obesity group, 5.9% were in the stable obesity group, 18.0% of the participants moved from non-obesity to obesity and they gained 23.5 kg on average, whereas only 0.9% of the participants moved from the obesity to non-obesity category and they lost 19.1 kg on average
In this large retrospective cohort study of nationally representative U.S adults, the highest risk of incident asthma was in participants who were weight gain from early to middle adulthood; stable obesity across adulthood was associated with increased risk of incident asthma
Summary
Asthma and obesity are major public health problems that have increased in the past decades. Wang et al Respir Res (2021) 22:139 studies provided causal evidence for obesity increasing the risk of asthma [4,5,6]. A meta-analysis including 147,252 European children in 31 birth cohort studies found that rapid weight gain in infancy was positively associated with childhood asthma [11]. The Taiwan Children Health Study conducted by Chen et al indicated that rapid adiposity growth might increase the incidence or recurrence of symptoms of childhood asthma [12]. In contrast to childhood-onset asthma, less is known about the factors associated with adult-onset asthma, from longitudinal studies [13]. This study aimed to investigate the association between weight change from early to middle adulthood and risk of incident asthma
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
