Study suggests people with obesity 70% more likely to be hospitalised, die from infectious disease

People with obesity could be 70% 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 global deaths, researchers said, even as they said estimates of obesity’s global impact should be interpreted with caution.

Researchers from the UK and Finland said that people with obesity were seen to have a higher risk of being hospitalised or dying due to SARS-CoV-2 infection during the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, there was a lack of evidence of whether the link exists for infectious diseases in general, they said

Study findings

The team analysed data from the UK Biobank and Finnish cohorts, amounting to over 540,000 people. Body mass indices (BMI) of the participants were noted at the time of enrollment, who were then followed up for an average of 13-14 years.

“(The) study of over 540,000 people suggests people with obesity are 70 % more likely to be hospitalised or die from an infectious disease; people with the most severe obesity face three times the risk,” the researchers said.

Extrapolating the findings globally, the team said that obesity may have been a driving factor in 0.6 million out of 5.4 million deaths (10.8 per cent) from infectious diseases in 2023.

“Our findings suggests that people living with obesity are significantly more likely to become severely ill or to 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,” author Solja Nyberg, from the University of Helsinki in Finland, said.

There is an urgent need for policies that help people stay healthy and support weight-loss, such as access to affordable healthy food and opportunities for physical activity, Nyberg said.