"Being overweight doesn't just make people more susceptible to chronic illnesses such as heart disease and diabetesit might also increase their risk of severe influenza and other infections, a new study confirms. The study, published today in the Lancet, suggests that people with obesity may be more susceptible to death and hospitalization from a variety of infections caused by viruses, fungi, parasites and bacteria."
"The study's authors parsed hospitalization and mortality data from time periods before, during and after the COVID pandemic's peak. They looked at infections such as influenza, COVID and pneumonia, as well as HIV and gastrointestinal, urinary tract, and skin and soft tissue infections. In addition to body mass index, or BMI (a controversial measurement for obesity), they factored in waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio, as well as other demographic information, including age, sex, ethnicity, education and socioeconomic status."
Health data from more than 540,000 people in the U.K. and Finland covering periods before, during, and after the COVID-19 peak were analyzed for links between body weight and infection outcomes. Risk of hospitalization and death from viral, fungal, parasitic, and bacterial infections increased as body weight and measures of central adiposity rose. Infections examined included influenza, COVID-19, pneumonia, HIV, gastrointestinal, urinary tract, and skin and soft tissue infections. Analyses adjusted for age, sex, ethnicity, education, socioeconomic status, BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and baseline comorbidities. High amounts of excess fat may impair immune defenses.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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