Obesity dramatically increases risk of serious infection, study shows

London (dpa) – People with severe obesity have a drastically increased risk of suffering a severe illness or even death from infections, according to a new analysis of health data from more than 540,000 patients in Britain and Finland. While being slightly overweight raises the risk only slightly, for people with class 3 obesity it is around three times as high as for those of normal weight, as shown in the study by a team led by Mika Kivimäki of University College London and Solja Nyberg of the University of Helsinki, published in the journal The Lancet. Overweight people already had an elevated risk with Covid. The starting point for the study was observations from a few years ago: "Studies during the COVID-19 pandemic showed that individuals with obesity had a higher risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, reflected by increased hospitalisations and mortality," the team wrote. However, it had been unclear whether this also applied to other infectious diseases. The team led by Kivimäki and Nyberg used health data from two Finnish databases and the British UK Biobank to examine the link between overweight and obesity and severe courses of infection, such as hospitalization or even death. The analysis found that being slightly overweight increased the risk of severe to fatal infections by 10% (Finland) and 13% (Britain). For class 1 obesity (body mass index 30 to 34.9), the risk was 47% (Finland) and 53% (Britain) higher than for people of normal weight. Class 3 obesity (body mass index from 40) led to a 2.69-fold (Finland) and 3.07-fold (Britain) increase in risk. Other factors such as sex, age and socioeconomic status hardly influenced this result. "It is plausible that obesity weakens the immune system's ability to defend against infectious bacteria, viruses, parasites, or fungi, which can lead to more severe disease courses," Mika Kivimäki was quoted as saying in a statement from The Lancet. The reasons could be factors associated with obesity, such as a nutrient-rich environment that favours the survival of microorganisms, as well as insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia and chronic low-grade inflammation. However, the study authors also wrote that while the data show the link between overweight and infection risk, they do not reveal the exact reasons for it. The researchers applied the findings to data from the "Global Burden of Disease" study and were thus able to calculate the risk of severe infection courses for world regions and individual countries. The study authors warn that the situation could worsen in the coming years. "As obesity rates are projected to rise globally, the number of deaths and hospitalisations due to obesity-associated infectious diseases will also increase," Nyberg said. To reduce the risk of severe infections and other health problems associated with obesity, there is now an urgent need for measures that help people stay healthy and lose weight, Nyberg said. The following information is not intended for publication dpa fm zlw yyzz n1 hu/waw

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