Research
Energy balance
Obesity is a significant risk factor for respiratory diseases, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS), and asthma, primarily due to mechanical effects on lung volume and airway collapse.
If you have obesity, you are at higher risk for sleep apnea and breathing problems. Excess weight can narrow your airways and reduce lung capacity. Losing weight can help improve breathing and reduce the severity of conditions like asthma and sleep apnea.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
Obesity is the main risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)... Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is another sleep-related hypopnea disorder that can be caused by severe obesity... Obesity may improve the prevalence, incidence, and severity of asthma.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies on respiratory physiology and clinical outcomes.
Source
Navigating obesity: A comprehensive review of epidemiology, pathophysiology, complications and management strategies
Ning Xiao et al. · The Innovation Medicine · 2024
DOI 10.59717/j.xinn-med.2024.100090
narrative_reviewCited 30×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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