Research
Mixed
Obesity increases susceptibility to Covid-19 through mechanisms including chronic inflammation, immune dysfunction, altered lung mechanics, and increased ACE2 expression.
Obesity contributes to severe Covid-19 through chronic inflammation, immune issues, lung mechanics, and higher ACE2 expression. Weight management and medical care for obesity are important for reducing risk.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Obesity is an inflammatory state associated with chronic activation of the immune system, which negatively affects immune functions and host defence mechanisms, resulting in high rates of infectious complications and vaccine failure.
Why this rating
Supported by multiple studies cited in the review.
Source
Obesity and diabetes as high‐risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (<scp>Covid</scp>‐19)
Yue Zhou et al. · Diabetes/Metabolism Research and Reviews · 2020
DOI 10.1002/dmrr.3377
narrative_reviewCited 501×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Obesity and diabetes are high-risk factors for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), leading to increased morbidity, mortality, and progression to respiratory failure.Good
- Diabetes increases susceptibility to Covid-19 through mechanisms including aggravated inflammatory storms, immune dysfunction, lung injury, and increased ACE2 expression.Good
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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