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Obesity Increases The Risk Of Death From The Covid Virus
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According to the report by the World Health Organisation, no country where less than 40% of the population is overweight has covid 19 death rates above 10 per 100,000.
But if all of the persons in those countries who died from covid were underweight/normal weight – then being overweight would seem to protect against death from covid. But we don’t know the obesity rates of those that died, so no conclusion can be drawn other than countries with low obesity rates tend to have lower covid death rates (not that obesity increases the risk of death).
It is known that death rates from covid increase significantly with age, but if older people have a tendency to be overweight, this unsubstantiated conclusion could be incorrectly drawn from the data.
According to the report by the World Health Organisation, no country where less than 40% of the population is overweight has covid 19 death rates above 10 per 100,000.
But if all of the persons in those countries who died from covid were underweight/normal weight – then being overweight would seem to protect against death from covid. But we don’t know the obesity rates of those that died, so no conclusion can be drawn other than countries with low obesity rates tend to have lower covid death rates (not that obesity increases the risk of death).
It is known that death rates from covid increase significantly with age, but if older people have a tendency to be overweight, this unsubstantiated conclusion could be incorrectly drawn from the data.
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NJ – based on your two statements (below) it is not possible to determine whether you have a lower risk of being involved in a road accident if you are not over the drink drive limit.
//Ten percent of road accidents involve people who are over the drink-drive limit.
- So 90% of accidents involve people who are not over the limit.//
But if 99% of all drivers are over the drink drive limit – then the 1% of the drivers (who are under the drink drive limit) are involved in 90% of accidents, and so are at a much higher risk of an accident.
This is exactly the point I am making, there is insufficient information to claim obesity increases the risk of death due to covid.
//Ten percent of road accidents involve people who are over the drink-drive limit.
- So 90% of accidents involve people who are not over the limit.//
But if 99% of all drivers are over the drink drive limit – then the 1% of the drivers (who are under the drink drive limit) are involved in 90% of accidents, and so are at a much higher risk of an accident.
This is exactly the point I am making, there is insufficient information to claim obesity increases the risk of death due to covid.
This is from the BMJ, if it helps...
//Why is obesity a risk factor for severe covid-19?
In July Public Health England estimated that having a BMI of 35 to 40 could increase a person’s chances of dying from covid-19 by 40%, while a BMI greater than 40 could increase the risk by 90%.1 But why is this?
Stephen O’Rahilly, director of the Medical Research Council’s Metabolic Diseases Unit at the University of Cambridge, also speaking at the briefing, said, “Two things happen when obesity occurs: the amount of fat increases, but also you put fat in the wrong places. You put it in the liver and in skeletal muscle. And that disturbs metabolism. The key disturbance is that you get very high levels of insulin in the blood.”
This disturbance is associated with a range of abnormalities, including increases in inflammatory cytokines and a reduction of a molecule called adiponectin that directly protects the lungs, he says.
It’s also possible that fat increases in the lung itself, which may disturb how the lung handles the virus, he adds. “The simple stuff you read about—big chest, big bellies, et cetera—is all grossly oversimplistic. What is really going on is metabolic, and we know that because if we look at genetic markers for the metabolic disturbance they are much more closely related to the bad outcomes than genetic markers for obesity itself,” O’Rahilly says.//
//Why is obesity a risk factor for severe covid-19?
In July Public Health England estimated that having a BMI of 35 to 40 could increase a person’s chances of dying from covid-19 by 40%, while a BMI greater than 40 could increase the risk by 90%.1 But why is this?
Stephen O’Rahilly, director of the Medical Research Council’s Metabolic Diseases Unit at the University of Cambridge, also speaking at the briefing, said, “Two things happen when obesity occurs: the amount of fat increases, but also you put fat in the wrong places. You put it in the liver and in skeletal muscle. And that disturbs metabolism. The key disturbance is that you get very high levels of insulin in the blood.”
This disturbance is associated with a range of abnormalities, including increases in inflammatory cytokines and a reduction of a molecule called adiponectin that directly protects the lungs, he says.
It’s also possible that fat increases in the lung itself, which may disturb how the lung handles the virus, he adds. “The simple stuff you read about—big chest, big bellies, et cetera—is all grossly oversimplistic. What is really going on is metabolic, and we know that because if we look at genetic markers for the metabolic disturbance they are much more closely related to the bad outcomes than genetic markers for obesity itself,” O’Rahilly says.//
From The Covid Virus
Obesity Increases The Risk Of Death From The Covid Virus
Hymie | 09:46 Fri 05th Mar 2021 | News
29 Answers
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According to the report by the World Health Organisation, no country where less than 40% of the population is overweight has covid 19 death rates above 10 per 100,000.
But if all of the persons in those countries who died from covid were underweight/normal weight – then being overweight would seem to protect against death from covid. But we don’t know the obesity rates of those that died, so no conclusion can be drawn other than countries with low obesity rates tend to have lower covid death rates (not that obesity increases the risk of death).
It is known that death rates from covid increase significantly with age, but if older people have a tendency to be overweight, this unsubstantiated conclusion could be incorrectly drawn from the data.
Covid Statistics
Making Cash Cows Out Of The Terminally Dim?
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ToraToraTora
ok thanks for that.
09:50 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
barry1010
I don't know many obese elderly people, in fact I don't know any. Most obese people I know and have seen are under 50.
09:51 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
dannyk13
Weight decreases with age so not many elderly people are obese.
09:54 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
davebro
Obesity increases the risk of death from all causes (except starvation)!
09:55 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
bobbinwales
//then being overweight would seem to protect against death from covid.//
Am not following your points hymie but the above is clearly wrong. Its been said all along that obesity increases your risk but age is of course the major factor and other underlying health issues such as diabetes.
09:56 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
Sqad
Barry
///I don't know many obese elderly people, in fact I don't know any. Most obese people I know and have seen are under 50.////
That's because the fat ones tend not to live long enough to get into old age.
09:59 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
bobbinwales
Good point squad
10:00 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
barry1010
I expect you're right, Sqad, so they are not skewing the data.
10:02 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
Hymie
Question Author
If all the people who died from covid in countries having low obesity rates were underweight/normal weight, and no persons who were obese died due to covid – then it would be incorrect to conclude obesity increases the risk of covid death.
But we don’t know the proportion of those who were obese who died in the above, so no conclusion can be drawn as to the increased risk from covid due to obesity.
"Obesity is a well known risk factor. Health professionals and health scientist's know the main factors"
Aye, especially the fat ones waddling the hospital corridors.
Obesity Increases The Risk Of Death From The Covid Virus
Hymie | 09:46 Fri 05th Mar 2021 | News
29 Answers
SubscribeReport ⚑
https:/
According to the report by the World Health Organisation, no country where less than 40% of the population is overweight has covid 19 death rates above 10 per 100,000.
But if all of the persons in those countries who died from covid were underweight/normal weight – then being overweight would seem to protect against death from covid. But we don’t know the obesity rates of those that died, so no conclusion can be drawn other than countries with low obesity rates tend to have lower covid death rates (not that obesity increases the risk of death).
It is known that death rates from covid increase significantly with age, but if older people have a tendency to be overweight, this unsubstantiated conclusion could be incorrectly drawn from the data.
Covid Statistics
Making Cash Cows Out Of The Terminally Dim?
Answers
1 to 20 of 29
1 2 Next Last
Best Answer
No best answer has yet been selected by Hymie. Once a best answer has been selected, it will be shown here.
For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.
ToraToraTora
ok thanks for that.
09:50 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
barry1010
I don't know many obese elderly people, in fact I don't know any. Most obese people I know and have seen are under 50.
09:51 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
dannyk13
Weight decreases with age so not many elderly people are obese.
09:54 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
davebro
Obesity increases the risk of death from all causes (except starvation)!
09:55 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
bobbinwales
//then being overweight would seem to protect against death from covid.//
Am not following your points hymie but the above is clearly wrong. Its been said all along that obesity increases your risk but age is of course the major factor and other underlying health issues such as diabetes.
09:56 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
Sqad
Barry
///I don't know many obese elderly people, in fact I don't know any. Most obese people I know and have seen are under 50.////
That's because the fat ones tend not to live long enough to get into old age.
09:59 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
bobbinwales
Good point squad
10:00 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
barry1010
I expect you're right, Sqad, so they are not skewing the data.
10:02 Fri 05th Mar 2021Report
Hymie
Question Author
If all the people who died from covid in countries having low obesity rates were underweight/normal weight, and no persons who were obese died due to covid – then it would be incorrect to conclude obesity increases the risk of covid death.
But we don’t know the proportion of those who were obese who died in the above, so no conclusion can be drawn as to the increased risk from covid due to obesity.
"Obesity is a well known risk factor. Health professionals and health scientist's know the main factors"
Aye, especially the fat ones waddling the hospital corridors.
There is a link to the PHE report here, https:/
Overweight and obesity also seem to be risk factors for worse outcomes in younger populations ( under 60 years old), with patients with a body mass index (BMI) between 30 and 34 being twice as likely to be admitted to ICU compared to individuals with a BMI under 30.
https:/
https:/
The problem is, Hymie, that you have taken the WHO statement in isolation (in the same way as my drink-driving analogy does). That has distorted your logic. You also need to know the dangers posed by being obese (if it presented no danger then any comparison would be meaningless) and the relative numbers involved.
Let's look at your opening statement:
//But if all of the persons in those countries who died from covid were underweight/normal weight [i.e. those who were less at risk]– then being overweight [i.e. more at risk] would seem to protect against death from covid.//
Change that to this:
//But if all of the drivers in those accidents were under the drink-drive limit [i.e. those who were less at risk] – then being drunk [i.e. more at risk] would seem to protect against having an accident.//
The WHO statement was simply providing the facts (in the same way that you could say that 90% of drivers involved in accidents were sober). You need to know other information before drawing conclusions, not the least of which is that you need to know (and take account of) the additional risks posed by being obese. It's well known that many, if not most diseases and ailments are likely to present more serious symptoms and greater risk of death if the sufferer is obese. There's no reason why Covid should be any different from this general rule. Being obese does not protect you from anything.
You've made the assumption that it does because, according to your hypothesis, in the countries where the majority of people who die from Covid are not obese, then being obese must afford protection from Covid. It's a false assumption. The majority of people in those countries who die from Covid do so because they form the majority of people, not because they are not obese. You could just as easily (and equally falsely) assume that because the majority of drivers involved in accidents are sober, then being drunk must protect you against accidents.
Let's look at your opening statement:
//But if all of the persons in those countries who died from covid were underweight/normal weight [i.e. those who were less at risk]– then being overweight [i.e. more at risk] would seem to protect against death from covid.//
Change that to this:
//But if all of the drivers in those accidents were under the drink-drive limit [i.e. those who were less at risk] – then being drunk [i.e. more at risk] would seem to protect against having an accident.//
The WHO statement was simply providing the facts (in the same way that you could say that 90% of drivers involved in accidents were sober). You need to know other information before drawing conclusions, not the least of which is that you need to know (and take account of) the additional risks posed by being obese. It's well known that many, if not most diseases and ailments are likely to present more serious symptoms and greater risk of death if the sufferer is obese. There's no reason why Covid should be any different from this general rule. Being obese does not protect you from anything.
You've made the assumption that it does because, according to your hypothesis, in the countries where the majority of people who die from Covid are not obese, then being obese must afford protection from Covid. It's a false assumption. The majority of people in those countries who die from Covid do so because they form the majority of people, not because they are not obese. You could just as easily (and equally falsely) assume that because the majority of drivers involved in accidents are sober, then being drunk must protect you against accidents.
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