A new study shows that obese individuals should take extra care when traveling to a high altitude destination.

Travel to unusual and exotic destinations is becoming increasingly popular. Such trips may involve high altitude destinations, where there is always the risk of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Researchers at the University of Texas now reveal that people who are obese may be at higher risk of AMS.

They had 10 obese men and 10 non-obese men spend 24 hours in a decompression chamber. This is the equivalent of being at an altitude of 3,658 meters (about 12,000) feet. During this time, 78 per cent of the obese individuals developed AMS symptoms compared to 40 per cent of those who were not obese. Symptoms include headache, vomiting, fatigue, weakness and dizziness. In general, a rapid ascent to more than 2,500 meters raises the risk of AMS considerably. Mountain climbers, trekkers, skiers and travelers to high altitude destinations will find themselves in such situations. There's no reason why excess weight should deter people from enjoying a high altitude trip - but they should be extra careful to make their ascent slowly and gradually.

Source

Annals of Internal Medicine 19th August 2003