What’s the Story
A global study by the World Obesity Foundation disclosed on Thursday that countries where 50 percent of the adults are obese have a higher risk of Covid-19 related deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has also earlier disclosed that obesity is likely to increase the chances of hospitalization due to coronavirus since it weakens the immune system and affects the airways.
With the recent roll-out of the vaccines across the globe, researchers say that shots are less effective in obese people.
Study finds link between coronavirus mortality risk and obesity
CDC says obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19
Fox News shared a new study released by World Obesity Foundation on Thursday that found a link between a country’s COVID-19 mortality and obesity prevalence in its population.
Researchers found high mortality rates only in countries where overweight prevalence exceeds around 50% of the adult population.
The researchers claimed that a country’s wealth, reporting capacity, elderly population, and other factors could not explain the link between COVID-19 and obesity.
The CDC notes that obesity may triple the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19, as it causes impaired immune function and can decrease lung capacity.
There is some evidence that the vaccines currently rolling out around the world are less effective in obese people.
Most coronavirus deaths have occurred in countries where majority of adults are overweight
Obesity, generally defined as BMI above 30, is associated with particularly severe outcomes.
According to The Washington Post, the report found that 88 percent of deaths due to covid-19 in the first year of the pandemic were in countries where more than half of the population is classified as overweight, which it defines as having a body mass index (BMI) above 25.
Among the nations with overweight populations above the 50 percent threshold were also those with some of the largest proportions of coronavirus deaths — including countries such as Britain, Italy and the United States.
In some cases, the correlations between coronavirus severity and weight are also tied to racial and ethnic inequality..
A higher BMI was also associated with increased risk of hospitalization, admission to intensive or critical care and the need for mechanically assisted ventilation.
Obesity a driving factor in Covid-19 deaths, global report finds
