People with obesity 70% more likely to be hospitalised by or die from infection, study finds | Obesity

Research suggests that people living with obesity are 70% more likely to be hospitalized with or die from infection, and one in 10 infection-related deaths worldwide are linked to the condition.

Unhealthy weight significantly increases the risk of serious illness and death from most infectious diseases, including flu, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections and Covid-19, according to a study of more than 500,000 people.

Researchers found that obesity may be a factor in 600,000 (11%) of the 5.4 million deaths from infectious diseases each year.

The problem could get worse, said the study’s first author, Dr Solja Nyberg from the University of Helsinki. “As obesity rates are expected to increase worldwide, the number of deaths and hospitalizations resulting from obesity-related infectious diseases will also increase.

“To reduce the risk of serious infection as well as other health problems linked to obesity, there is an urgent need for policies that help people stay healthy and promote weight loss, such as access to affordable healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.”

In the meantime, he added, it’s “especially important” for those living with obesity to keep their vaccinations up to date.

During the pandemic, people living with obesity were at higher risk of being hospitalized or dying from Covid-19. But until now there has been a lack of evidence on whether this link exists for infectious diseases in general.

To fill this evidence gap, the study used data from 67,000 adults in two studies in Finland and 470,000 adults in the UK Biobank dataset to look at the relationship between obesity and serious infectious diseases.

Participants’ body mass index (BMI) was assessed and followed for an average of 13 to 14 years. The average age at the start of the study was 42 years for the Finnish cohort and 57 years for the UK cohort.

The study published in Lancet, It found that people with obesity with a BMI of 30 or higher had a 70% higher risk of hospitalization or death from any infectious disease compared to people with a healthy BMI of 18.5 to 24.9. The risk increased as body weight increased.

Prof Mika Kivimäki from UCL, lead author of the study, said: “Our finding that obesity is a risk factor for a wide range of infectious diseases suggests that broad biological mechanisms may be involved.

“It is plausible that obesity weakens the immune system’s ability to defend against infectious bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi, thus leading to more severe disease.

“Evidence from trials of GLP-1 weight loss drugs fits this, as reducing obesity also appears to reduce the risk of serious infections, among many other health benefits. However, additional research is needed to confirm the mechanisms underlying these associations.”

The chances of dying varied between countries. Nearly a sixth of infectious disease deaths in the UK were linked to obesity, and a quarter in the US. study found. Vietnam had the lowest rate; obesity was linked to 1.2% of infection deaths.

The study, funded by Wellcome, the Medical Research Council and the Finnish Research Council, had limitations, including that it was based on observational data and could not confirm causality.

Co-author of the study, Dr. D. from Imperial College London. Sara Ahmadi-Abhari said: “Global impact estimates give an idea of ​​how big the problem could be, but they need to be interpreted with caution.”