Overweight and obese children at greater risk of getting asthma, cancer, study finds
Overweight and obese kids as young as five are at much higher risk of developing asthma, according to a new study.
For the first time, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) has investigated people under the age of 25 to find health problems linked to having a high Body Mass Index (BMI).
AIHW spokesperson Lynelle Moon said children and teens were 35 per cent more likely to have asthma if they were obese or overweight.
"There's a body of evidence that shows this link. It has to be strong enough and consistent enough across various studies and show that it's a causal relationship," she said.
Boys were more likely to have asthma than girls, as they had a higher rate of obesity.
Being overweight is thought to cause inflammation in the body, which is a risk factor for asthma.
But it is not just asthma affecting heavier kids; researchers found overweight or obese teens and young adults were also at greater risk of a number of cancers and gall bladder diseases.
Cancer, dementia in obese adults
Researchers from the AIHW used data from the Australian Health Survey in 2011-12, which found more than 60 per cent of Australian adults and 25 per cent of Australian children were overweight.
The AIHW already had a lengthy list of diseases linked to having a high BMI, but now it is adding more.
It found if a person was overweight or obese between the ages of 35 and 64, they had a 41 per cent increased risk of developing dementia, compared with those within a healthy BMI range.
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