Skip to main content

Childhood Body Mass Index Tied to Later Lung Health

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Nov 8, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2024 -- Childhood body mass index (BMI) is associated with lung health later in life, according to a study published online Oct. 28 in the European Respiratory Journal.

Gang Wang, M.D., Ph.D., from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, and colleagues investigated the influence of BMI trajectories on lung function covering the entire growth period. The analysis included data from the Swedish BAMSE birth cohort, with 3,204 individuals followed for 24 years.

The researchers identified six distinct BMI development groups. The accelerated increasing BMI group showed reduced pre- and post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio z scores (β = −0.26 and −0.22, respectively), along with an elevated lung clearance index (LCI; 0.30) at 24 years compared with the stable normal BMI group. At 24 years, the persistent high BMI group showed lower FEV1 and FVC z scores growth between 16 and 24 years (−0.24 and −0.27, respectively) and elevated LCI (0.20). These impairments were not seen in the accelerated resolving BMI group. The persistent low BMI group showed persistently decreased FEV1 and FVC from 8 to 24 years, as well as decreased lung function growth.

"These results imply that early interventions aimed at achieving a normal BMI during childhood may contribute to improved lung health later in life," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted November 2024

Read this next

Use of Composite Allocation Score for Lung Transplant Wait List Improves Outcomes

MONDAY, May 19, 2025 -- Wait-list outcomes for lung transplants have substantially improved in the composite allocation score (CAS) era, according to a study presented at the...

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Not Linked to Increased Risk of Psychiatric Adverse Events, Depression

MONDAY, May 19, 2025 -- For patients with overweight/obesity and/or diabetes, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) treatment is not associated with an increased...

Risk of Obesity-Related Cancer Similar for GLP-1 Receptor Agonists and Bariatric Surgery

THURSDAY, May 15, 2025 -- Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) may cut the risk of obesity-related cancer (ORC) in patients being treated for diabetes and...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.