Link between obesity and COVID-19 may not be what it seems: CMAJ

Duong, Diana

Obesity is frequently cited as a risk factor for severe COVID- 19, but the role of weight bias and discrimination in that risk demands further investigation, according to Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, an associate professor of family medicine at the University of Ottawa and medical director of the Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa. There is no doubt that people with higher body mass index suffer worse outcomes from COVID-19. One meta-analysis that pooled data on more than 399,000 people with COVID-19 found that those with obesity were 113% more likely to be hospitalized, 74% more likely to need intensive care and 48% more likely to die than those with lower BMIs. Researchers have attributed this increased risk to a constellation of physiological factors--from weakened immune responses due to chronic inflammation, to breathing problems and other conditions that often accompany obesity, such as type 2 diabetes.