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Source: Fox News
Summary
A new study published in The Lancet analyzed medical data from nearly 550,000 adults in Finland and the UK over a 14-year period, finding that obese patients were 70% more likely to be hospitalized with or die from an infection. The study found that obesity played a role in about 9% of infection-related deaths in 2018, 15% in 2021, and 11% in 2023. The researchers estimated that up to 11% of infection-related deaths globally could be prevented by addressing obesity.
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The advice sounds familiar.
Obesity is linked to a higher risk of infection severity and death, a new study reveals. The study analyzed medical data from nearly 550,000 adults in Finland and the UK, finding that obese patients were 70% more likely to be hospitalized with or die from an infection. The researchers estimated that up to 11% of infection-related deaths globally could be prevented by addressing obesity.
The study found that obesity was linked to worse outcomes from infectious diseases, regardless of physical activity levels. The conditions most strongly associated with obesity were skin and soft-tissue infections.
Professor Mika Kivimaki, the study’s lead author, noted that obesity weakens the body’s defenses against infections, resulting in more serious diseases.
Original observation: We’ve been here before, haven’t we?
Author: Evan Null
