Obesity linked with higher risk for COVID-19 complications
Study raises concern that COVID-19 vaccine will be less effective for
those with obesity

Date:
August 26, 2020
Source:
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Summary:
From COVID-19 risk to recovery, the odds are stacked against those
with obesity, and a new study raises concerns about the impact of
obesity on the effectiveness of a future COVID-19 vaccine.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A review of COVID-19 studies reveals a troubling connection between two
health crises: coronavirus and obesity.


==========================================================================
From COVID-19 risk to recovery, the odds are stacked against those with obesity, and a new study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill raises concerns about the impact of obesity on the effectiveness
of a future COVID-19 vaccine.

Researchers examined the available published literature on individuals
infected with the virus and found that those with obesity (BMI over 30)
were at a greatly increased risk for hospitalization (113%), more likely
to be admitted to the intensive care unit (74%), and had a higher risk
of death (48%) from the virus.

A team of researchers at UNC-Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global
Public Health, including lead author Barry Popkin, a professor in the Department of Nutrition and member of the Carolina Population Center, collaborated with senior author Meera Shekar, a World Bank health and
nutrition specialist, on the paper published in Obesity Reviews.

For the paper, researchers reviewed immunological and biomedical data
to provide a detailed layout of the mechanisms and pathways that link
obesity with increased risk of COVID-19 as well as an increased likelihood
of developing more severe complications from the virus.

Obesity is already associated with numerous underlying risk factors
for COVID- 19, including hypertension, heart disease type 2 diabetes,
and chronic kidney and liver disease.



========================================================================== Metabolic changes caused by obesity -- such as insulin resistance and inflammation -- make it difficult for individuals with obesity to fight
some infections, a trend that can be seen in other infectious diseases,
such as influenza and hepatitis.

During times of infection, uncontrolled serum glucose, which is common
in individuals with hyperglycemia, can impair immune cell function.

"All of these factors can influence immune cell metabolism, which
determines how bodies respond to pathogens, like the SARS-CoV-2
coronavirus," says co- author Melinda Beck, professor of nutrition at
Gillings School of Global Public Health. "Individuals with obesity are
also more likely to experience physical ailments that make fighting
this disease harder, such as sleep apnea, which increases pulmonary hypertension, or a body mass index that increases difficulties in a
hospital setting with intubation." Previous work by Beck and others has demonstrated that the influenza vaccine is less effective in adults with obesity. The same may be true for a future SARS- CoV-2 vaccine, says Beck.

"However, we are not saying that the vaccine will be ineffective in
populations with obesity, but rather that obesity should be considered as
a modifying factor to be considered for vaccine testing," she says. "Even
a less protective vaccine will still offer some level of immunity."
Roughly 40 percent of Americans are obese and the pandemic's resulting
lockdown has led to a number of conditions that make it harder for
individuals to achieve or sustain a healthy weight.



========================================================================== Working from home, limiting social visits and a reduction in everyday activities -- all in an effort to stop the spread of the virus -- means
we're moving less than ever, says Popkin.

The ability to access healthy foods has also taken a hit. Economic
hardships put those who are already food insecure at further risk,
making them more vulnerable to conditions that can arise from consuming unhealthy foods.

"We're not only at home more and experience more stress due to the
pandemic, but we're also not visiting the grocery store as often, which
means the demand for highly processed junk foods and sugary beverages that
are less expensive and more shelf-stable has increased," he says. "These
cheap, highly processed foods are high in sugar, sodium and saturated fat
and laden with highly refined carbohydrates, which all increase the risk
of not only excess weight gain but also key noncommunicable diseases."
Popkin, who is part of the Global Food Research Program at UNC-Chapel
Hill, says the findings highlight why governments must address the
underlying dietary contributors to obesity and implement strong public
health policies proven to reduce obesity at a population level.

Other countries, like Chile and Mexico, have adopted policies from taxing
foods high in sugar to introducing warning labels on packaged foods that
are high in sugar, fats and sodium and restricting the marketing of junk
foods to children.

"Given the significant threat COVID-19 represents to individuals with
obesity, healthy food policies can play a supportive -- and especially important -- role in the mitigation of COVID-19 mortality and morbidity,"
he says.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_North_Carolina_at_Chapel_Hill. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Barry M. Popkin, Shufa Du, William D. Green, Melinda A. Beck,
Taghred
Algaith, Christopher H. Herbst, Reem F. Alsukait, Mohammed
Alluhidan, Nahar Alazemi, Meera Shekar. Individuals with obesity
and COVID‐19: A global perspective on the epidemiology and
biological relationships.

Obesity Reviews, Aug. 26, 2020; DOI: 10.1111/obr.13128 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200826083015.htm

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