Love Handles put Squeeze on Lungs

Ivanhoe Broadcast News

Related Encyclopedia • Abdominoplasty • Acidophilus • Addison's Disease • Adhesions More... Related Healthscout Videos Taking on Type One: Beating Diabetes Early eFeed: Teaching Toddlers How to Eat Home Remedies: All Natural Antibiotics Three Heart Tests You Don't Know About More... Related Animations • Diabetes • GERD • PPI Therapy • What is Cholesterol? More... Related Drug Information • Aciphex • Actonel • Actos • Amaryl More... Related News Articles • New Stool Test Might Aid in Early Detection of Colon Cancer • Coffee Drinking in Pregnancy Won't Lead to Sleepless Baby: Study • Showing Patients Images of Their Clogged Arteries a Powerful Wake-Up Call • Could Soy Help Lower Your Blood Pressure? More...

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Theres yet another reason to eliminate love handles. A new study links abdominal obesity to decreased lung function. Excess weight around the waist is already associated with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and other health problems collectively known as metabolic syndrome.

The new research was conducted in France. It analyzed the health data of more than 120,000 people. Abdominal obesity was defined as having a waist circumference of greater than 35 inches for women and 40 inches for men. Researchers found waist size to be linked to decreased lung function independently of smoking history, sex, body mass index (BMI) and other complicated factors.

Text Continues Below

---

Abdominal obesity may mechanically affect the diaphragm and chest wall compliance with decreased lung volumes, author Natalie Leone, M.D. of French National Institute for Health and Medical Research was quoted as saying.  

SOURCE: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, March 2009 (second issue) 

Sign up for a free weekly e-mail on Medical Breakthroughs called First to Know by clicking here.

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Melissa Medalie at mmedalie@ivanhoe.com.

This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.