A lot of people assume that people with these diseases are smokers, and therefore we shouldn’t be paying any attention or spending as much time on trying to treat or trying to come up with better treatments for people with these conditions.
But it’s very clear that a lot of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer develop these diseases without ever having any history of smoking. There’s a whole range of different things that can actually contribute to those diseases, and there’s just not enough research going into this space, particularly with lung cancer, I think because of the stigma around lung cancer.
– Professor Jay Horvat
In this episode, we sit down with Professor Jay Horvat from the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI) to discuss why lung health is fundamental to overall wellbeing and how emerging research is uncovering surprising new influences on respiratory disease.
Professor Horvat explains the challenges faced by Australians living with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and particularly those managing both conditions at the same time.
We explore groundbreaking research investigating how the body’s metabolism – including factors such as blood sugar levels, cholesterol and excess abdominal fat – may contribute to lung inflammation and breathing difficulties. Professor Horvat discusses how a better understanding of these connections could lead to new treatments, lifestyle interventions and improved outcomes for people with chronic respiratory disease.