‘Fat tongues’ may be behind sleep apnoea
GPs could ask all patients about snoring as fatty tongues can occur in even slim people, say study authors
Doctors may have a new health message to deliver to patients who snore, in the wake of findings into obstructive sleep apnoea — your tongue is too fat.
Slimming down this body part emerged as a key factor in improvements in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), according to a study from researchers from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, US.
They used MRI imaging to measure the effect on the upper airways of a 10% weight loss in 67 patients with obesity and OSA.
The scans showed reducing tongue fat was the primary reason overall sleep apnea scores improved by 31%.
