Fatty Tongues Could Be Main Driver Of Sleep Apnea

"You talk, eat and breathe with your tongue - so why is fat deposited there?" said study author Dr Richard Schwab, of Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia.

"It's not clear why - it could be genetic or environmental - but the less fat there is, the less likely the tongue is to collapse during sleep."

Sleep apnoea is a common disorder that can cause loud snoring, noisy breathing and jerky movements when asleep.

It can also cause sleepiness during the day, which can affect the quality of life.

Researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, scanned 67 people with obstructive sleep apnoea who were obese and had lost 10% of their body weight, improving their symptoms by 30%.

By looking at the size of patients' upper airway structures, the research team was able to find out what changes had driven the improvements.

The patients' weight loss also led to a reduction in the size of a jaw muscle that controls chewing and muscles on either side of the airway, which also helped.

"Now that we know tongue fat is a risk factor and that sleep apnoea improves when tongue fat is reduced, we have established a unique therapeutic target that we've never had before," said Dr Schwab.

The study is published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.