Obesity May Increase Pneumonia Risk.

Source: Tufts University
December 15, 2000 (Reviewed: December 23, 2002)

Pneumonia is serious lung ailment that affects more than 4 million Americans a year. Health professionals tend think that underweight people are particularly prone to this illness, and that hospitalization increases the risk even further. But an article in the Archives of Internal Medicine reports that the health stress caused by obesity also puts people in the general population at risk for pneumonia.

For this analysis, Harvard researchers assessed the health and lifestyle habits of more than 100,000 participants of two large US health surveys. They then monitored the people for up to six years, documenting the number of men and women in the group who developed pneumonia during that time. Overall, only a very small percentage of participants became ill with pneumonia during the course of the study, but certain health characteristics appeared to increase the risk. As expected, smokers more likely than non-smokers to develop pneumonia. More surprisingly, excess body weight also made a significant difference. The researchers found that men and women who gained more than 40 pounds during their adult years were almost twice as likely as people whose weight stayed stable to develop pneumonia. The risk was lower in women who remained physically active throughout adulthood.

The researchers say that it is not clear why obesity increased the risk of pneumonia among study participants. They point to several studies, though, that suggest that obesity may put a strain on the immune system and make it easier for pneumonia germs to invade the body. This stress on the immune system may stem from health problems such as heart disease and diabetes that are harder to bring under control in people who are overweight. As a possible explanation for the protective effect of exercise, they cite research that demonstrates regular physical activity may help the body fight infection.

Nonetheless, the authors of this study suggest that community-wide improvements in health habits, including smoking cessation, weight control, and physical activity, all recognized as critical components of a healthy lifestyle, could reduce the number of people affected by pneumonia.

Source

• A prospective study of age and lifestyle factors in relation to community-acquired pneumonia in US men and women. I. Baik, G. Curhan, E. Rimm, Archives of Internal Medicine., 2000, vol. 160, pp. 3082--3088

Related Links
When you stop smoking
To quickly access additional accurate information on this and other nutrition-related topics, visit Tufts University's Nutrition Navigator http://www.navigator.tufts.edu

Please take a moment to give us your comments. For questions about Health matters you may check our "Questions & Answers" Portal and Service.