Obesity Leads to More Covid-19 Deaths, But That’s Not the Whole Story
In March of last year, I posted information that only 12% of Americans are healthy "cardiometabolically." The combination of obesity, specific heart-health markers, and some metabolic measurements are collectively known as metabolic syndrome. Essentially our metabolism has a direct impact on our overall health and heart health specifically. Many people with poor metabolism have fat deposits presenting in many different patterns. Some have average weight, but their fatty deposits are internal around their organs. Others carry it on their hips. Many carry it all over. Alarmingly in America, 73.6% are overweight, and 42.5% are obese.
Infections and Obesity
The health implications are dire, not just for our cardiovascular systems.
Obesity is known to impair immune function, hindering white blood cells and other cell-mediated immune responses. (1) It is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation and weakened immune systems as well. Researchers noted more severe infections occurred in obese people in the 1957–1960 "Asian" and the 1968 "Hong Kong" influenzas (2), and more recently in 2009; researchers noticed that death rates from infection with H1N1 were over two times the average for the obese. (3)
Covid-19 and Obesity
With Covid-19, obesity is strongly associated with increased severity of COVID-19 infections, even in the absence of other underlying health issues. Here are a few reasons. Obesity results in the production of pro-inflammatory molecules called cytokines and many Covid-related deaths involve cytokine storms. A cytokine storm is when the body is overrun with inflammation, often leading to death. Additionally, the blood vessels are affected by obesity, which leads to cardiovascular disease and worsening of pulmonary circulation and oxygen exchange during Covid-19 infections. Obesity is also associated with increased angiotensin II levels, directly affecting the heart muscle, and Covid infections also frequently cause heart damage. (4)
Kitava: A Modern Example of Healthy Metabolism
Staffan Lindeberg studied the population of Kitava, a small island off the coast of New Guinea. Kitavans are farmers who only eat fresh whole foods, with only 1% considered western foods. They eat a high carbohydrate diet of almost 70% unprocessed carbohydrates like yams and fruit. Stroke and heart disease are absent or rare. Ironically, 75% of them smoke! They are all lean; their body mass index (BMI) and blood pressure are low, and their fasting insulin levels (a good thing) are lower than westerners. (5) Essentially they have no metabolic syndrome. Summing up Lindeberg's findings, the absence of heart disease may be due to lack of obesity, with correspondingly low serum leptin levels (another good thing), low BMI, low blood pressure, low insulin, and plasma plasminogen activator inhibitor‐1 (another good thing). (6) You can read Lindeberg's studies here, here, here, and here.
The studies (in a broad sense) corroborate what I constantly repeat on this site: whole food diets devoid of processed carbohydrates and seed oils, daily sunshine and activity, and leanness are beneficial at fighting diseases. They do not prove that smoking does not contribute to illness, so don't even think about smoking.
You can eat like a Kitavan by visiting KITAVA: two restaurants in San Francisco and Oakland. Here is an excerpt of their philosophy. “Like the isolated island of Kitava, our restaurant serves as an oasis and an escape from the standard American diet. We aim to create a gathering place that brings people together to enjoy nourishing, delicious food, in an environment that promotes and encourages healthy living”.
Comparing Coronavirus Severity In Thin and Obese Countries
Because I believe that obesity and being overweight exacerbate the symptoms of Covid-19, I was curious how Kitavans are doing during the outbreak. I could not find specific information on how Covid has affected them, so I searched for info on the countries with the lowest rates of Covid-19, including deaths. Singapore came out on top. Only 31.8% in Singapore are overweight, and the obesity rate (for 2017) was just 8.7%. The Covid-19 death rate was just .005%. The death rate in the U.S. is thirty times higher at .152%. The World Obesity Federation found Covid deaths have been ten times higher in countries where at least 50% of the population are overweight. Those countries account for 90% of all covid-19 deaths. (7)
You can see a chart comparing eight of the thinnest countries to eight of the overweight countries in this article by the Daily Mail.
Here are some more articles linking obesity to worsening Covid-19 outcomes. Click on the footnotes to access them:
The Guardian: Covid deaths high in countries with more overweight people, says report (8)
Times Malta: Obesity behind spike in younger COVID-19 patients in critical care (9)
Healio: Obesity, CVD, other factors mean 75% of U.S. adults may be at risk for severe COVID-19 (10)
Hindustan Times: Hospitalised Covid-19 patients with obesity significantly more likely to need ICU care: Study (11)
KSAT.com: Bariatric surgery lowers COVID-19 complications, researchers say (12)
Daily Mail: U.S. obesity crisis to blame for high Covid death tolls, report (13)
What You Can Do Now
Losing excess weight can be an unpleasant undertaking. Change can be difficult. But losing weight, although beneficial in many cases, misses the mark. I think it explains why diets often fail. The inherent inefficiency is unsustainable.
I love the analogy of baking a cake to symbolize achieving good health; they both require a handful of ingredients added in the correct amounts. Focusing on only weight is like concentrating on the flour in your batter. You can't ignore the other elements as they are crucial for a good outcome.
An example is insufficient sleep. The average American is sleep deprived. We average only 6.8 hours per night, more than two hours less than a century ago. The consequence of poor sleep is high cortisol, which in turn raises your blood sugar. Studies demonstrate a direct connection between sleep deprivation and weight gain through decreased glucose tolerance, reduced insulin sensitivity, heightened fight-or-flight response, high cortisol, and increased hunger and appetite. (14) The last two items result in the infamous "hangry" feeling. There is no way you will be healthy if you don't sleep properly. You will undoubtedly be sabotaging your ability to lose weight and keep it off.
The Bottom Line
Forget your weight for now. Focus on how you look, your mood, and your ability to accomplish your daily tasks with ease. Below is my interactive guide to all of the steps you need to include to accomplish this. You can use the hyperlinks for more information. Your "body composition" will take care of itself as you focus on the following:
When you dial in all of these elements, you will notice that both your body and mood will improve, making your days more manageable. You will enter a positive feedback loop where all of the elements help improve each other. After a while, you will realize you are just "living" the way humans have always done. If you don't believe me, just take a look at the list of the things I mentioned; they are all instinctive. The only reason any one of them feels difficult is that you have habituated them away.
Covid-19 is one of many things trying to take us out. Let's not give it any help. Rather, let’s help ourselves survive.