Obesity is associated with higher risk of COVID-19 complications

A review of the COVID-19 study reveals an awkward link between two health crises: coronaviruses and obesity.

From COVID-19 risk to recovery, odds have been stacked for obesity odds, and a new study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill raises concerns about the effects of obesity on the efficacy of future COVID-19 vaccines. I am.

Researchers examined available public literature on individuals infected with the virus and found that obese people (BMI 30 years and older) were at a very high risk of hospitalization (113%) and were likely to be admitted to intensive care units ( 74%), and increased risk of death from the virus (48%).

A member of the Gillings Global Public Health School at UNC Chapel Hill, Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition and a member of the Carolina Population Center, is part of the Health and Nutritionist of the World Author, the World Bank. In collaboration with Meera Shekar on the paper published in the Experts, Obesity reviews..

In the paper, the researchers reviewed immunological and biomedical data to identify a mechanism that links obesity with an increased risk of COVID-19 and an increased likelihood of developing more serious viral complications. And provided a detailed layout of the route.

Obesity is already associated with many potential risk factors for COVID-19, including hypertension, heart disease type 2 diabetes, and chronic kidney disease. Liver disease..

The metabolic changes caused by obesity, such as insulin resistance and inflammation, make it difficult for obese people to fight some infections. This is a trend seen with other infectious diseases such as influenza and hepatitis.

During infection, uncontrolled serum glucose, which is common in people with hyperglycemia, can impair the function of immune cells.

“All of these factors, like SARS-CoV-2, can influence immune cell metabolism that determines how the body responds to pathogens. Coronavirus”Said co-author Melinda Beck. “Obese individuals are more likely to experience physical ailments that make it harder to fight the disease, such as sleep apnea, which increases pulmonary hypertension. Difficulties in hospitals with intubation Body mass index to increase.”

Previous research by Beck and others Influenza vaccine Less effective in obese adults. The same may apply to future SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, Beck said.

“But we’re not saying the vaccine is ineffective in the obese population, but obesity should be considered as a modifier to be considered for vaccine testing,” she says. “Even a less protective vaccine has some immunity.”

Approximately 40 percent of Americans are obese, and the lockdown resulting from a pandemic has led to many conditions that make it difficult for individuals to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.

Popkin says working at home, limiting visits to society, and reducing day-to-day activities aren’t working as hard as ever to stop the spread of the virus.

The ability to access health food has also been hit. Financial difficulties put people who are already food Unsafe with additional risk, making it more vulnerable to conditions that can result from consumption Unhealthy food..

“We’re not only at home, we’re stressed by pandemics, we don’t go to grocery stores often, which means more processed junk food and less expensive food. There is a demand for more shelved sugared beverages in the country-increases stability,” he says. “These cheap, highly processed foods are high in sugar, sodium, saturated fats, and high in refined carbohydrates, which not only prevents excessive weight gain but also of major non-communicable diseases. The risk is also high.”

Popkin, who participates in UNC Chapel Hill’s Global Food Research Program, said the findings show a strong public health policy that governments have demonstrated to address dietary contributors underlying obesity and reduce it at the population level. He emphasizes the reason why it must be done.

In other countries such as Chile and Mexico, taxing foods that are high in sugar, introducing warning labels on packaged foods that are high in sugar, fat and sodium, and limiting the sale of junk food to children. We have adopted the policy up to that point.

“COVID-19 obesity, healthy food Policies can play a supportive and particularly important role in mitigating COVID-19 mortality and morbidity. “He says.