Heavy youngsters at risk for asthma symptoms

Children who are overweight at age 6 to 7 years are at increased risk for having symptoms of asthma like shortness of breath and “twitchy” airways when hey are 8 years old, results of a study conducted showed. However, children who are overweight at a younger age but reach a normal weight by age 6 to 7 do not appear to have an increased risk for asthma symptoms, says the study. “These findings suggest that being overweight may affect a child’s development of asthma symptoms,” Dr Salome Scholtens from the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment in Bilthoven said. “However, if a previously overweight child develops a normal weight, then the asthma symptoms are less likely to persist. We propose that development of a normal weight might positively affect asthma symptoms in overweight children,” Scholtens said.