OVERWEIGHT INCREASES RISK OF COVID-19 DEATH

OVERWEIGHT INCREASES RISK OF COVID19 DEATH

There is a growing mountain of information and misinformation about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. Many people are becoming Coronavirus news weary.  This is understandable but highly unadvisable. The facts are continuously becoming evident as the raw data and research continues to grow and these facts will affect your life, directly or indirectly in the coming months and years.

DOES BEING OVERWEIGHT AFFECT OUR IMMUNE SYSTEM?

As with all matters concerning body fat, it is certain there will be varied opinions, some say “yes… obviously”, some, “I am sure there are overweight people with strong immune systems”, and others, “this is certainly a complex issue with many unknowns.”

However, with the knowledge from past flu research and an increase in the current COVID-19 data, answers regarding the effect of overweight on immune response is becoming quickly and starkly clear.

OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY, VIRAL INFECTION AND DEATH.

• Obesity (severe) is now identified by the CDC as a risk factor for increases COVID-19 severity and mortality (death)
• Obesity was shown in the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic to cause poor prognosis and death
• In obese individuals, over-nutrition which results in obesity causes chronic meta-inflammation resulting in systemic implication for immune functions, resulting in a muted immune response to viral infection, and, poor recovery
• In England the NHS reported that excess weight appears to be a significant factor, with 70% of patients being overweight, obese or clinically obese on the body mass index (BMI) scale.
• Overweight and obesity is proving far deadlier in New Orleans, whose coronavirus death rate is twice New York’s according to public health officials
• Increased obesity in Italy’s population is believed to account for the increased death rate compared to China, states a JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association) viewpoint.

To understand these outcomes, you only need to realize three things:

1. Not only does excess body fat can make breathing more difficult and increase the need for oxygen, this is the challenge with respiratory infections
2. Each of us has a level of immune response and function, lets say the ideal level is 90%, and that to survive an infection you must stay at 50% or above.  The 90% individual may fall to 70% or 60% when infected.  The obese individual has a baseline inflammatory state which can drop immune response to a delayed and blunted 70% or 60%, resulting in a lethal 50% or 40% in infection.
3. Even if an overweight individual survives the initial infection, there is heightened susceptibility to secondary bacterial infections.

OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY AND CONTAGIOUSNESS.

If you are concerned about your own contagiousness to your loved ones throughout a respiratory infection, you should be aware that:

• Overweight/obese individuals actually have more virus coming out in their exhaled breath, found in a study at University of Maryland.
• Obese adults shed the virus about 1.5 times longer (Journal of Infectious Diseases, households studied in Managua, Nicaragua, for 3 flu seasons).

OVERWEIGHT, OBESITY AND VACCINATIONS.

Perhaps, like everyone else, your goal is to remain safe through the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, waiting for the months to pass and eventually get a vaccine, which, will make the world a safe place for you again. Sadly, if you are overweight you are likely to find that this plan is far from ironclad, as:

• Obesity can make the flu vaccination less effective and offer less protection, as published in the International Journal of Obesity, June 6, 2017, by. Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel
• Overweight individuals have a higher chance of becoming infected with a virus, even after being vaccinated. Although overweight individuals have active antibody responses, it is believed that T cell components of the immune system are compromised
• A study of 1,200 vaccinated individuals over the course of 2 flu seasons, saw twice the number of obese participants contracting the flu compared to the healthy weighted participants
• With an increase of excess weight, individuals experience metabolism changes which impact cells including immune cells, similarly to elderly individuals. This effectively increases the individuals biological age and subsequent responses, regardless of their chronological age.  Consequently an overweight 25 year old can have the same immune response as an 85 year old.

There is much more which further evidence and studies will reveal, hopefully researchers will pay attention to the effects of nutrition, lifestyle and ethnicity on susceptibility and survival. 

For now, we should be vigilant about our physical protection, (social distancing and covering nose and mouth in public) and highly vigilant regarding our ultimate line of defense, our immune system.

This virus isn’t going anywhere, several risk factors may be unchangeable, but overweight is literally in your hands. We can change your choices and over time your outcomes.

There are many adds and promotion of takeout and delivery foods, which is understandable for economic concerns, but for you, I implore you instead of fattening and “alcoholing” up yourself for this deadly virus, BE WISE, come out of these times leaner, with a new relationship with foods.  It is often challenging, but the time is now. Get support if necessary, we at Intekai have supported many through this process and I am certain that it is possible for you.