How Important Is Weight Loss To Survive Covid-19?

The latest evidence is that most people are not at risk of death COVID-19.

However, the bad news is that the virus is probably not eliminated by lockdown.

Doctors now suggest from the findings to date that there is much more we can do to reduce the risk of Covid-19 causing serious illness.

According to the latest figures released last week, more than 9 out of 10 cases are nearing the end of life for people who died of Covid-19, and in addition to chronic life-threatening conditions such as the heart, they are infected with the virus. Had or had lung disease, or dementia.

However, it is now clear that these statistics hide important but rarely discussed risk factors. That is weight and obesity.

Being overweight is the second largest risk factor for serious illness after age. (stock)

Weight is assessed according to the Body Mass Index (BMI). A BMI of less than 25 is considered “healthy,” 25-29 is classified as “overweight,” and 30 or more is classified as “obese.” Data from the Intensive Care National Audit & Research Center (ICNARC) show that three-quarters of severe UK Covid-19 patients are overweight or obese.

Similarly, a study of 4,103 severely ill Covid-19 patients by New York University showed that obesity was the second most common, while age was the single largest risk factor for serious illness.

About two-thirds of adults in the UK are overweight or obese, and Dr Matt Cape Horn, clinical manager at the Rotherham Institute for Obesity, a specialized center for weight management, suggests warning the public about this. doing.

“We’re doing health briefings on TV every day. If they say something along these lines, and even if half of the population takes it on board, it will make a difference. “

Even with the UK lockdown ending next month, evidence from Japan and elsewhere in Asia shows that a second wave is expected in the fall.

Neil Ferguson, an epidemiologist and professor of mathematical biology at Imperial College in London, also advised people to take responsibility for their health. “We need to assess risk from a personal perspective, including getting healthy and losing weight.”

Data reveal that three-quarters of critically ill patients in UK hospitals are overweight. Pictured above is a morbidly obese man (stock image)

Rob Andrews, Associate Professor of Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Exeter, told Good Health that a slight weight gain during the lockdown would make a limited difference.

But he warned: “For future health, we recommend that these individuals do not gain more weight and exercise regularly.”

Too much weight makes it difficult for the diaphragm and lungs to expand, reducing oxygen supply to vital organs. There is also a risk that bacteria and fungi will grow undisturbed in the lungs, causing pneumonia.

“Weight gain reduces lung ventilation, increases the risk of lung disease, especially asthma, and increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes,” says Andrews.

Dr. Cape Horn says overweight people who are already suffering from sleep apnea should be aware of their Covid-19 risk.

Sleep apnea stops breathing for a short time because the airways are temporarily collapsed. This is often caused by fat around the neck. This is most common for overweight men over the age of 40 who have shirt collar sizes over 16 inches.

As for treatment, overweight people say, “Excessive fat weight in the airways makes it more difficult to get enough oxygen and requires additional help with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or mechanical ventilation. Is more likely to happen, “said Cape Horn. health.

Patients with CPAP (where pressurized air is gently pushed through the mask into the airways) can have other breathing problems because it is difficult to exhale to the machine. Mechanical ventilation-where the tube is inserted into the airways-increases the risk of acute lung injury.

An association between body weight and an increased risk of severe or deadly infection with an influenza-like virus was first identified in 2009 during a swine flu pandemic that killed 284,000 people worldwide.

The United States has the most serious obesity problems in the world, with Scotland behind it. More than 20% of swine flu deaths in Europe occur there.

In contrast, there were no deaths in Japan, where only 2% of adults were obese.

Medic transports patients suffering from coronavirus at Royal London Hospital

Last week, Professor Barry Popkin of the College of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Gillings told Good Health, “Obesity and excessive weight reduce the immune response and ability to fight Covid-19.”

A US study published last year also found that the vaccine was less effective in overweight people.

Meanwhile, Italian doctors have discovered that the Covid-19 complications experienced by overweight people can be alleviated by downward nursing.

Fredrick Calpe, professor of metabolic medicine at Oxford University last week in Sunday Times, explains: “If you have a large abdomen when you are lying down, your weight pushes the diaphragm up, reducing the volume of your lungs. The virus is all about lung function.”

But Professor Andrews says that the right bed is not always available.

Despite ICNARC statistics, a British Public Health spokesman claimed: [correlation] This is because obesity alone is the cause or people living with obesity are more likely to have comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory disease. “

Dr. Cape Horn, however, is very clear. He says: “It’s [Covid-19] Lockdown is to be with us, and Lockdown is a valuable opportunity to find ways to improve our health while we can. “