When you lost weight, did it cure / improve your asthma?

oremus1
oremus1 Posts: 100 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
when I was young I had a BMI between 18 - 23 and no asthma. but I struggled with asthma as I got older. I now am BMI of about 28. I cant tell if the asthma made me stop sport and eat junk (I was not on meds and craved coffee and sugary food to keep me going as aasthma makes me tired) then I got fat, or if I got fat which caused asthma.

what I need to know is, if I git back to a good BMI (I am not very muscly etc so BMI is a good indicator for me) do you think my asthma will go away?

Replies

  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    There is no way of telling. It won't hurt you to get in a healthy weight range though. Asthma isn't well understood IMO.
    It can be tied to many conditions. Since it is a bronchial inflammation it seems to be hard to correlate it to obesity, but that said you may find improvement. Obesity or being overweight in itself is worth addressing since there are so many health risks elevated by that condition. I know many skinny asthmatics.
  • wrkowt70
    wrkowt70 Posts: 24 Member
    Mine got lots better and it gets worse when I reach 200
  • stephxfit
    stephxfit Posts: 30 Member
    Two things I do know: 1) moderate intensity aerobic exercise improves my asthma, and 2) I gained 80 lbs over a 3 year span (haven't lost it yet) and my asthma did gradually get worse as I gained weight.

    I've heard good thinks about anti-inflammatory foods/diets for asthma. Ie lots of raw, plant sourced fats as well as omega 3s, lots of fresh fruits and veggies, and little things liking drinking lemon water every morning before food and/or adding a vitamin C supplement are supposed to help with inflammation.

    Good luck!
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
    I guess I'm weird, I developed exercise-induced asthma when I started running many years ago, it got worse and became full-blown asthma, having bronchitis and other respiratory illness, not to mention all the drugs and inhalers I had to take. When I finally had to give up running and put on a hundred or so pounds, my asthma symptoms lessened. Now that I've lost the weight and working out regularly, though not running, my asthma symptoms have not increased. The only time I have issues is when I come in contact with certain allergens and I have an emergency inhaler for such cases.
  • AVT78
    AVT78 Posts: 39 Member
    I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 13, I was overweight then. I lost weight when I was a teenager (16/17) and my asthma improved. After the birth of my first child my weight was up again and I noticed my asthma was worse . Then again, I lost weight and I no longer needed my preventative or rescue inhaler. So to answer your question. Yes, I think that asthma does improve when we weigh less with a healthier BMI

    But even my doctor couldn't give me a straight answer on the subject..:huh:
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    It really depends on what triggers your asthma. Is it exercise, allergies? For me it's allergies. Yes, it's been better since I lost weight and I was able to reduce my medication quite a bit, but there's no guarantee I won't have an allergic reaction if I get in touch with an animal I'm allergic to.
  • oremus1
    oremus1 Posts: 100 Member
    im not sure. i used to get colds all the time, which always went into chest infections. then it ended up happeneing every two months. then i got a cough and it never went away, and i was tired all the time and my lungs felt full of fluid. then the doc monitored my peak flow and saw i had asthma. but with all the chest infections i naturally stopped sport and gained weight. so im not sure but i think i had asthma before i got fat, but it was nto noticeable.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    I use an inhaler before every workout. Every so often I forget, and I'm quickly reminded that I actually need this stuff. Mine is exercise triggered so getting into or being in shape actually puts me at or around the conditions that could make me have an attack. Well controlled with medication though. Interesting that you mention colds, my doc said she recommends a flu shot even for those with low grade asthma like mine, because any chest issues could potentially become very serious.

    Oh and PS, I stopped taking cold medicines whenever I do get a cold. They just made me feel worse and prolonged my symptoms. Now whenever I do get one which isnt often at all, ibuprofen, Claritin knockoff, lots of fluids, and keeping my environment Warm enough. that's it.
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
    My asthma is triggered by exercise, and to lesser degree anxiety and allergens. My new doctor put me on singulair (sp?) nightly. Between that medicine, my inhaler, and actually being more active, my attacks have become much less severe. I've forgotten both meds on occasion and I can make it much longer before being reminded that I needed that inhaler. And I don't have attacks from just walking, or chasing after my kids like I used to. And I'm down to only needing a single puff before exercise instead of 2 plus another halfway through my workout
  • christinalong1991
    christinalong1991 Posts: 74 Member
    It depends. In my case though, it did go away when I lost weight. I've had asthma my whole life but I've also always been overweight. I lost 40 lbs and it completely went away (except for when I get colds, I still ALWAYS end up with bronchitis and long recoveries from coughs). I've gained 20 lbs back and now use my rescue inhaler almost once a day again. But ther3 ar3 other reasons to get healthy t9o so it can't hurt to try and find out! :)
  • desidieter
    desidieter Posts: 195
    My asthma is mostly allergy/seasonal, so moderate exercise and improving my diet has helped it. It's been in remission for a long while now. I don't remember the last time I needed an inhaler, thankfully. But yeah, as others have said, if exercise is a trigger, then I can't imagine it will help someone's asthma improve.

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