Can weight loss help protect against Covid-19?
People who are overweight or obese are at a much higher risk of much more severe disease and even death from Covid-19, and one new study suggests that losing weight can reduce that risk.
“We are overwhelmed with the volume of patients that have really made that connection between obesity and Covid and the need for them to get appropriate care,” said Cody Stanford, who is also an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
Obesity and the increased risk of Covid-19
Dozens of studies have shown similar results.
Does losing weight reduce Covid-19 risk?
The increased risk has led many to wonder if losing weight might keep them from catching or getting sicker with Covid-19.
“There’s no question, in controlled trials with people who are obese and have heart failure, that if they go through a weight reduction or an exercise program or a combination, and we look at this marker of how they are doing, the answers to that are yes, there is evidence that weight loss is a good thing,” Kass said.
The study, looking at records from 20,212 people for more than six years, was funded by a grant from Medtronic, which makes devices for weight loss surgery.
The rates of positive Covid-19 tests were similar in the surgical and control groups: 9.1% and 8.7%, respectively. The weight loss among the group that had surgery was associated with a lower risk of hospitalization, need for supplemental oxygen and severe symptoms from a Covid-19 infection. This patient group also had a 53% lower 10-year cumulative incidence of all-cause non-Covid mortality, compared with the control group.
“The findings suggest that obesity can be a modifiable risk factor for the severity of Covid-19 infection,” the study said.
Dr. Steven Nissen, a cardiologist with Cleveland Clinic who co-authored the study, said it’s important to understand that weight loss is the key with this study, not the surgery itself.
The surgery just happens to be an effective way to lose weight.
“Losing weight is completely reversible,” Nissen said. “As far as we can tell, if you lose weight, then your risk of serious Covid and Covid morbidity and mortality goes way down.”
Why obesity is a threat
Obesity is a problem with Covid-19 for a variety of biological reasons.
“Fat cells are living cells, and as soon as you start to accumulate them, they’re essentially impacting your immune system negatively,” Popkin said. “From the word go, they’re inflamed.”