A new study conducted at the John Hopkins University revealed that three conditions that often linked to obesity also have independent links with sleep apnea or sleep disordered breathing (SDB).

The study showed that three conditions including insulin resistance, the growth of liver disease, and inactive lifestyle have direct connection with the common breathing disorder, regardless of person’s weight.

The study results will appear in the February issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

The research disclosed that there is a direct connection between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and insulin resistance, which renders the body incapable of metabolizing glucose.

Lead author Dr. Naresh Punjabi, an associate professor of medicine and epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said, “Our major finding was that, as we suspected, SDB was strongly associated with a decrease in the three major metabolic pathways that the body uses to metabolize glucose— insulin sensitivity, glucose effectiveness, and pancreatic cell function— independent of adiposity.”

“What our research tells us is that SDB is characterized by multiple physiological deficits that increase the predisposition for type 2 diabetesdefine mellitus,” Dr. Naresh added.

In a separate Hopkins study, the researchers discovered that the oxygen deficit that occurs during obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), resulted in liver issues in proportion to the severity of sleep disorder.

Lead researcher Dr. Vsevolod Y. Polotsky of the Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center said, “The hypoxic stress of OSA may induce oxidative stress in the livers of patients with severe obesity, leading to further inflammation.”

Another factor common to obesity and sleep apnea is less-than-active life. The less movement of calf muscles causes a fluid shift in the legs during sleep that may have a role in the development of sleep apnea.

“Sedentary living may predispose to OSA not only by promoting obesity, but also by causing dependent fluid accumulation in the legs, which can shift rostrally to the neck overnight,” said Dr. T. Douglas Bradley, professor of medicine and director of the Centre for Sleep Medicine and Circadian Biology at the University of Toronto.

In spite of these three conditions common to both, obesity and sleep apnea are not completely connected and researchers insist that the disorders must be treated separately to deal with any secondary problems arising from them.