Long before Covid-19, obesity was a serious health concern, a major contributor to cardiovascular and cancer deaths. More than one in three adults in the United States are living with obesity, many more are overweight. The arrival of Covid-19 has shed a new light on this longstanding health risk. The pandemic led many Americans—housebound, working fewer hours in the world, exercising less, drinking more, depressed—to gain weight.
At the same time, it became clear that having excess weight worsened Covid-19 outcomes. Obesity tripled the risk of hospitalization, and increased intensive care unit admission and death from Covid-19, particularly for those under 65 in the US. Internationally, nearly 90% of deaths from the pandemic disease have been in countries with high levels of obesity. Only old age is a stronger risk factor for severe illness. Overweight, at least, may be reversible.
Read the full post at The Turning Point.