Asthma, a disorder that causes the airways of the lungs to narrow and swell causes wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing without sputum production. When an asthma attack occurs, the muscles surrounding the airways become tight and the lining of the air passage swells, reducing the amount of air that can pass. Asthma attacks can last for minutes to days, becoming dangerous if the airflow is severely restricted. Reuters reports that there is a link found between obesity and asthma. There are various reasons for the association, including the fact that asthmatics have smaller lung capacity causing the muscles around the lung airways to contract more. Obesity also appears to cause chronic inflammation in the body, which results in more severe asthma symptoms. Lastly, obesity places a person at increased risk for gastroesophageal reflux disease and sleep apnea, both of which can worsen asthma. The same Reuters report reveals that obese asthmatics can have significant improvement of asthma symptoms by losing weight, with weight loss decreasing the amount of asthma medication one may need, decreasing hospitalizations and affording better overall lung function. Diet Doc's new medically supervised hCG diet plans offer even more advanced fast weight loss for patients nationwide, in turn possibly offering a reprieve from asthma symptoms.