A paper from 2011 by Louie et al. identified extreme obesity with increased odds of death from an infection with H1N1. The data was from California. They found that of those hospitalized with the disease, over two times the average were obese. (1) I have been saying the same thing in some of my previous posts about the coronavirus pandemic. Our underlying health issues are a significant risk factor for more severe coronavirus infection symptoms and death.

You may be thinking that H1N1 and Covid-19 are different, and they are. However, a recent article of the week from European Scientist has found the same link with Covid-19. The author, Aseem Malhotra, cites data from the first 2204 patients admitted to 286 British NHS ICU’s with COVID- 19 finding that 72.7% of them were overweight or obese, which is 15% higher than the national average for obesity which is an appalling 61%. (2) The author goes so far as to identify the underlying poor health of many western populations as “the elephant in the room.”

Malhotra cites a 2016 paper by Anderson, Murphy, and Fernandez that finds obesity has a “substantial impact that obesity and metabolic syndrome parameters have on immunity and pathogen defense, including the disruption of lymphoid tissue integrity; alterations in leukocyte development, phenotypes, and activity; and the coordination of innate and adaptive immune responses. These changes are associated with an overall negative impact on chronic disease progression, immunity from infection, and vaccine efficacy”. In simple terms, obesity leads to a poor functioning immune system and chronic inflammation that can lead to the infamous cytokine storm that is killing people. Malhotra notes that in South Korea, which has one of the lowest prevalence of obesity in the world, could in part explain its low mortality rate form the virus.

The article ends with a plea to have an equally strong message to “eat real food.” I would go a bit further than that. 90% of the things killing us are preventable through lifestyle changes. Covid-19 may not be entirely preventable, but we can all minimize the risk of dying from it.

Adequate sleep, nutrient-dense paleo-type diets devoid of processed carbohydrates, proper movement, stress management, and healthy relationships are all necessary components of optimal health. Malhotra suggests that “changes may not just save hundreds and potentially thousands of lives around the world in the coming months, but given the high likelihood of another international viral pandemic in the next decade a healthier population and a subsequently more manageable health service will be much better equipped to handle what would then be a smaller mortality peak on the next occasion.” I could not agree more. For my quick-start guide to achieving better health, click here.