If you’re overweight, you may feel winded from time to time and experience a variety of lung health issues. For example, walking can be more taxing.
“The more excess weight one carries, the more difficult it may be to breathe,” says Lona Sandon, PhD, RDN, associate professor in the department of clinical nutrition at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
But lung health problems associated with being overweight aren’t just a matter of the effort it takes to complete daily tasks. Having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above can lead to changes in your body that impair your lungs’ ability to do their work.
“We do know that there appears to be a linear relationship between BMI and risk of asthma,” says pulmonologist Anne Dixon, professor of medicine and director of the Vermont Lung Center at the University of Vermont in Burlington. She also says that being clinically overweight or obese can increase your risk.
Keeping that in mind, here’s what you need to know about body weight and lung health, and how losing weight may help you breathe easier.
How Having a Higher Weight Can Impact Your Lungs
Dr. Dixon says that when people who are in a healthy weight range take a breath, the lungs expand from the bottom, filling them fully with air. But having more body weight makes it harder to draw breath from the bottom of the lungs, which can make people feel short of breath.
“If you have a lot of extra mass, that will give a smaller space for your lungs to work in,” says Dixon.
Where you store your weight can also make you more likely to have breathing trouble. Dixon’s research found that people who carry weight in their middles — often referred to as an “apple” body shape — are more likely to have lung issues than the “pear” types who carry the bulk of their weight in their hips, thighs, and limbs. Lung problems are more closely related to waist circumference than BMI.
Which Respiratory Issues Are Related to Higher Weight?
According to Dixon’s research, here are some of the main lung health problems linked to being overweight. (1)
Asthma
Dixon says the obesity-asthma connection is particularly strong. Compared with people whose weight is in a healthy range, people who are overweight have 1.5 times the risk for developing asthma, while people with BMIs categorized as obese are 1.9 times more likely to have this respiratory condition. (2)
While dropping weight can put you in a lower risk group for developing asthma, it’s important to note that higher weight isn’t always the reason people have breathing difficulties. “Not all with asthma are obese, therefore losing weight may do little to change their symptoms,” says Sandon.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common condition where your breathing stops and starts while you sleep, and it increases the odds of developing coronary artery disease. (3) The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says that clinical obesity is a common cause of sleep apnea. (4)
How does body weight play a role in this? A large amount of fatty tissue can add weight to your neck and chest when you’re lying flat, causing sleep apnea symptoms, says Sandon. Getting rid of excess weight “reduces the burden on the respiratory and cardiovascular system and may help keep airways open,” she says.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
COPD is a group of diseases that cause airflow blockage and breathing problems, and it includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. (5) Dixon says that while the connection between higher weight and COPD isn’t as strong as with asthma, some data suggests that a higher BMI can lead to this incurable lung condition.
Can Losing Weight Make You Breathe Better?
The odds are very good that it will. And you don’t have to reach your ideal weight to start to see improvements.
“The only place we investigated this was with asthma, but if people can lose around 5 to 10 percent of their preexisting weight, it does seem to improve symptoms significantly,” says Dixon. So, for example, let’s say you weigh 200 pounds. Just dropping the first 10 pounds may help make your lungs work better.
Choosing to eat healthier foods — like you’re already doing on your weight loss journey — can also support better lung health. The American Lung Association recommends a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and carbohydrates. If you’re already experiencing lung disease, protein is a key component too, since it helps develop more muscle to keep you active and strong. (6)
Exercise can also help you maintain or improve lung health. The American Lung Association says that exercise strengthens your lungs just like it does your muscles. (7) As your physical fitness improves, your body gets more efficient at moving oxygen around your body, and that’s one of the reasons why you’re less likely to feel short of breath once you make physical activity a regular habit.
Dixon says that when people with asthma lose weight by adding exercise to their routine, it’s even more effective in improving asthma symptoms. “But exercise can be very difficult if you already have lung problems,” she explains. So she advises to start slowly and remember that any activity you include is a step forward for your lung health.
If you’ve already been diagnosed with a lung issue, talk to your healthcare provider before you start any exercise program.
Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking
- Peters U and Dixon AE. The effect of obesity on lung function. Expert Review of Respiratory Medicine. August 14, 2018.
- Schachter LM, Salome CM, Peat JK, et al. Obesity is a risk for asthma and wheeze but not airway hyperresponsiveness. Thorax. January 2001;56(1):4–8.
- Mayo Clinic. Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
- National Heart, Lung, and, Blood Institute. Sleep Apnea: Causes and Risk Factors.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
- American Lung Association. Does Nutrition Affect Lung Health?
- American Lung Association. Exercise and Lung Health.
