title: Association between body mass index and asthma among Japanese adults: risk within the normal weight range.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increasing amounts of data have shown that some Asian populations are more susceptible to increased weight and development of noncommunicable disease than Western populations. However, little is known about the association between increased weight, particularly within the normal range, and the development of asthma among Asian populations.
  
  
  METHODS
  To examine the association between increased body mass index (BMI) and asthma among Japanese adults, data from a nationwide population-based cross-sectional survey of asthma prevalence in Japan were analyzed (n = 22,962; age range 20-79 years). BMIs were classified into 7 categories considering WHO recommendations (cutoff points: 17.00, 18.50, 23.00, 25.00, 27.50 and 30.00), and the association between BMI and the prevalences of asthma as well as asthma symptoms were assessed by multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalences of obesity (BMI ≥ 30.00) in this population were relatively low (males 3.0%, females 2.3%). BMI categories of 25.00 or higher in both genders were significantly associated with an increased risk of asthma compared with the reference category (BMI 18.50-22.99). Even in females with a BMI of 23.00-24.99, the prevalence of asthma significantly increased (adjusted odds ratio 1.49, 95% confidence interval 1.16-1.92) compared with that in the reference category.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  An increase in the prevalence of asthma among Japanese females starts at a BMI of 23.00, which was relatively lower than those reported from Western countries. This finding suggests that the Japanese population is likely to have asthma with a lesser degree of obesity than Western populations.
authors: Clinical Research Center for Allergy and Rheumatology, Sagamihara National Hospital, Sagamihara, Japan. y-fukutomi@sagamihara-hosp.gr.jp
authors: Yuma
authors: Y
authors: Fukutomi
authors: Masami
authors: M
authors: Taniguchi
authors: Hiroyuki
authors: H
authors: Nakamura
authors: Satoshi
authors: S
authors: Konno
authors: Masaharu
authors: M
authors: Nishimura
authors: Yukio
authors: Y
authors: Kawagishi
authors: Chiharu
authors: C
authors: Okada
authors: Yasushi
authors: Y
authors: Tanimoto
authors: Kiyoshi
authors: K
authors: Takahashi
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Akasawa
authors: Kazuo
authors: K
authors: Akiyama
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D012306:Risk; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires