Background : An increase in asthma prevalence (or asthma-like symptoms) has been established in obese subjects, especially women. The aim of this pathophysiological study is to evaluate whether the modifications of respiratory mechanics due to severe obesity (Body Mass Index [BMI]>35) may explain the increase in asthma prevalence. Our hypothesis is that a decrease in variability of tidal breathing (evaluated by the coefficient of variation of Tidal volume: CVTV) (which traduces a physiological response to the increased work of breathing) associated with a decrease in the frequency of deep inhalations (FDI) (physiological sighs). The bronchodilatory and bronchoprotective roles of these deep inhalations have been demonstrated. The avoidance of deep inhalations during 10 minutes in healthy subjects is responsible for a non specific transient airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to methacholine. Consequently, obesity-related asthma could be due to the loss of bronchoprotective effect of deep inhalations.