Providing nutritional information to people with lung disease

Studies have shown that about 30 per cent of people who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) lose weight. Weight loss has been shown to be associated with a reduction in lung function (Poole, 1993). Conversely, patients who are overweight have an increased respiratory workload due to their extra weight. Excess weight also increases the risk of hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and osteoarthritis (Collins, 2003). Many patients are unaware of changes in their nutritional status. The case study in Box 1 provides an illustration of this.