Berlin  - Love handles aren't just an aesthetic problem, they can also increase the risks of asthma for women, according to a recent medical study.

Women whose waists have a circumference of more than 88 centimetres - even if they are of normal weight - are at risk, notes the German Federal Association of Pneumologists (BdP), citing a US study.

"That overweight women were two to three times more likely than women of normal weight to develop asthma was already known," says Michael Barczak of the BdP. But the new study showed that fat buildups along the intestines have a particularly negative impact.

The best measurement was waist circumference. Weight or body-mass index did not carry as direct a correlation. (dpa)