Super-sized asthma risk

Children who are overweight or who were heavy at birth are much more likely than their peers to develop asthma, say US scientists.

In an analysis of 12 previous studies on the link between weight and asthma risk, researchers at the University of California found that overweight school-age children were 50% more likely than their normal-weight peers to develop asthma.

High birth weight was linked to a 20% greater risk of developing asthma later in childhood.

However, the researchers noted that factors such as genetics and air pollution play a greater role in the development of the condition.

Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood, April 2006