Being obese means living with health issues. Diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular ailments… the list of ailments associated with obesity is just endless. Unfortunately, covid-19 is another addition to this list. Because according to a new study, if you are obese and get infected by covid-19 then your likelihood of dying is high.
Conducted by Public Health England (PHE), the research says people who are obese or overweight are at increased risk of death or severe illness from coronavirus.
Keep a tab on your BMI, especially during covid-19
According to the PHE, data shows that for people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30-35, the risk of death from covid-19 increases by 40%. It increases by 90% for those with a BMI over 40, as compared to those people with a healthy weight.
People with a BMI of over 30 are classed as obese under the system.
“The current evidence is clear that being overweight or obese puts you at greater risk of serious illness or death from covid-19, as well as from many other life-threatening diseases,” said Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at PHE.
Obesity can also trigger other viral infections
An insightful study published in the Journal of Virology, a publication of the American Society for Microbiology, also suggests that metabolic syndrome (which includes obesity) increases the risk of severe disease from a viral infection. In fact, according to them, obesity can double your likelihood of developing influenza.
Not surprisingly, the CDC already suggests that obesity is a risk factor for severe illness triggered by the covid-19 virus. Researchers indicate this could be because excess body weight and fat puts pressure on the diaphragm which makes breathing difficult as it is–even more so when you have a viral infection that affects the respiratory system.
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All in all, a massive shift in lifestyle–one that encourages clean and healthy eating and regular activity–is the need of the hour. This can go a long way in curbing the number of deaths at the hand of covid-19.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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