New Delhi, October 28 (IANS). A research has revealed that abnormal body mass index (BMI) in children, whether high or low, may be associated with reduced lung function.
About 10 percent of people suffer from poor lung function in childhood. They also do not achieve proper lung capacity as adults, increasing their risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, lung disease, and diabetes.
However, a study conducted by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden has shown that this deficiency can be reversed if their BMI returns to normal before reaching adulthood.
The team studied 3,200 children from birth to age 24. BMI is the most common body measurement, which takes weight into account. But, not muscle and fat. It was measured about 4 times.
The results, published in the European Respiratory Journal, showed that abnormal weight and height were the major risk factors associated with poor lung function.
Research has shown that children with persistently high BMI or rapidly increasing BMI showed reduced lung function as adults. This was primarily the result of restricted airflow into the lungs, known as obstruction.
Eric Mellen, professor of pediatrics at Karolinska Institutet and lead researcher, said that children who initially had a high but normal BMI before puberty had no decline in lung function as adults.
This shows how important it is to optimize children’s development in the early years of life and throughout their early school years and adolescence.
Low BMI may also be linked to reduced lung function due to inadequate lung development.
The researchers also stressed the need to focus on nutritional measures rather than just focusing on overweight.
–IANS
MKS/GKT
