Obesity Increases Risk of Death from Infections by 70%

The study revealed that people with obesity (defined as a BMI of 30 or higher) had a 70% higher risk of hospitalization or death from any infectious disease compared to people with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. In 2023, the United States had the highest proportion among high-income countries, with obesity linked to a quarter of deaths from infectious diseases, while in the UK, it was linked to one in six such deaths. For example, adults in the UK Biobank with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 had a 1.1% risk of a severe infection in a year, while people with obesity had an annual risk of 1.8%. Obesity significantly increases (by 70%) the risk of hospitalization or death from most infectious diseases, including influenza, COVID-19, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, and respiratory tract infections, notes a study of 540,000 people. 'Our findings suggest that people living with obesity are significantly more likely to get very sick or die from a wide range of infectious diseases. In most of them, including flu, COVID, pneumonia, or gastroenteritis, people with obesity were more likely to be hospitalized or die than those with a healthy BMI. However, there was no evidence that this relationship existed for infectious diseases in general.' People with severe obesity (BMI of 40 or higher) had a three times higher risk than those with a healthy weight. The authors also used data on mortality from infectious diseases from the 'Global Burden of Disease Study.' The analysis suggested that 0.6 million of the 5.4 million (10.8% or one in ten) deaths from infectious diseases worldwide were related to obesity in 2023. However, obesity did not appear to increase the risk of severe HIV or tuberculosis. To reduce the risk of severe infections, as well as other health problems related to obesity, there is an 'urgent need' for policies that help people stay healthy and support weight loss, such as access to affordable healthy food and opportunities for physical activity. The details are published in The Lancet in an article that also suggests that about one in ten deaths related to infections worldwide could be attributed to obesity. A follow-up of over a decade During the pandemic, people with obesity had a higher risk of being hospitalized or dying from an SARS-CoV-2 infection. The authors also examined ten common infectious diseases in detail. Furthermore, if someone has obesity, it is especially important to keep up with recommended vaccinations, Nyberg continues. But more research is needed to confirm the mechanisms underlying these associations. The risk increased steadily as body weight increased. To clarify this, the study used data from 67,766 adults from two Finnish studies and 479,498 from the UK Biobank. The data revealed significant differences between countries. The participants' body mass index (BMI) was assessed when they entered the studies, and they were followed for an average of 13-14 years. The mean age at baseline was 42 years in the Finnish study and 57 years in the biobank cohort. Additionally, the Finnish and UK cohorts are not representative of the general population, so generalization should be treated with caution. 925 bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal infectious diseases were taken into account. The authors point out several limitations, such as the study being based on observational data and not being able to confirm causality. The research is led by British and Finnish scientists. In contrast, Vietnam had the lowest proportion among the analyzed countries (1.2%).