Data shows that those with obesity are more likely to die or suffer from severe cases of COVID-19 if they contract the novel coronavirus, but new research presented at the European and International Congress on Obesity (ECOICO) is shedding light on why, saying it may come down to a weakened immune response.
Healthcare workers attend to a COVID-19 patient in an intensive care unit at the General University Hospital in Prague, Czech Republic, Tuesday, April 7, 2020. TORONTO -- Data has shown that those with obesity are more likely to die or suffer more severe cases of COVID-19 if they contract the novel coronavirus, but new research presented at the European and International Congress on Obesity is shedding light on why.
According to a press release on French data presented at the ECOICO, areas of France that had higher percentages of obesity “appeared to take longer to release their lockdown restrictions” due to COVID-19 still circulating in those areas. Adipose tissue, commonly known as fat, is a tissue present in all humans. Fat is necessary for our survival and has a role in numerous processes within the body, including immunity and inflammation. But when this tissue builds up too much, as is the case with obesity, it can result in “chronic low-grade inflammation,” which is associated with complications such as Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even some cancers.
"The collision of the obesity and COVID-19 pandemics highlights the importance of understanding shared disease pathophysiology, which may steer therapeutic choices to prevent or dampen the complications of COVID-19, especially in vulnerable populations such as people living with obesity and related chronic diseases,” said Dr. Gijs Gossens in the press release, an associate professor at Maastricht University in the Department of Human Biology.
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