NEW DELHI: People with obesity could be 70 per cent more likely to be hospitalised or die from an infectious disease, including flu, COVID-19 and pneumonia, according to a study published in The Lancet journal.
In 2023, obesity was linked to one in ten infection-related deaths globally, researchers said, while cautioning that estimates of obesity’s global impact should be interpreted carefully.
Researchers from the UK and Finland said people with obesity were found to have a higher risk of hospitalisation or death due to SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, they noted that evidence on whether this link extends to infectious diseases in general had been limited.
The team analysed data from the UK Biobank and Finnish cohorts, covering more than 540,000 people. Body mass index (BMI) of participants was recorded at the time of enrolment, and they were followed up for an average of 13–14 years.
“The study of over 540,000 people suggests that people with obesity are 70 per cent more likely to be hospitalised or die from an infectious disease; those with the most severe obesity face three times the risk,” the researchers said.
Extrapolating the findings globally, the team estimated that obesity may have contributed to 0.6 million of the 5.4 million deaths from infectious diseases in 2023, accounting for 10.8 per cent of the total.
“Our findings suggest that people living with obesity are significantly more likely to become severely ill or die from a wide range of infectious diseases. As obesity rates are expected to rise globally, so will the number of deaths and hospitalisations from infectious diseases linked to obesity,” said author Solja Nyberg from the University of Helsinki in Finland.
Nyberg said there is an urgent need for policies that help people stay healthy and support weight loss, including access to affordable healthy food and opportunities for physical activity.