Obesity and Asthma

Evidence is mounting that America's rising rates of obesity and asthma are not coincidental. They suggest a causal link. But does the link, if valid, hold for both men and women? Research varies.

A 1999 Harvard Medical School study found a definite obesity-asthma link among nearly 86,000 subjects, but the subjects were all women. The author insists his findings hold for men too. However, a 2001 Canadian study of both sexes found that obese women-but not men-were more likely to develop asthma than thinner women.  Click here for full article.