- The CDC found that people with obesity or severely underweight had the highest COVID-19 risk.
- An BMI on overweight was associated with the lowest risk of death, hospitalization, or intensive care.
- BMI is an imperfect measure of health, but it is one tool to protect people with obesity or underweight.
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According to COVID-19, people who are almost or slightly overweight are the least likely to have serious complications.
While obesity has long been considered a risk factor for COVID-19 complications, a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released on Monday states that people with a body mass slightly higher than if defined as “normal” may have a lower risk. of death and serious illness.
BMI categorizes anything above 24.9 as overweight.
CDC researchers studied data on 148,494 American adults admitted to hospital with COVID-19 from March to December 2020. They found that people were at or just over the point of being overweight – with a BMI between 23.7 and 25 , 9 – had the least chance of being admitted to hospital. , you may need intensive care or die from COVID-19 after considering your age.
Supporting previous evidence, people with obesity and people with a lower than normal BMI, such as 18.5 or less, have a much higher risk for COVID-19 complications.
These results suggest that the relationship between COVID-19 and body weight is not straightforward, and more nuanced studies such as these are crucial in assessing individual coronavirus risk.
BMI is an imperfect measure of health
BMI is a measure of body weight in relation to height (you can calculate yours on the CDC website). Although it is often used to determine the risk of chronic diseases, someone may have a higher BMI and be completely healthy.
“On an individual level, BMI may not be a perfect indication of someone’s health risk. It’s one of the different measurements we need to take to assess health risks,” said Dr. W. Scott Butsch, director of obesity medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, previously told Business Insider.
This is because BMI does not take into account the body composition (the ratio of muscle to fat) or where body fat is distributed. Both of these factors can be important for health and for the risk of conditions such as metabolic dysfunction, cardiovascular disease and
diabetes
.
BMI was created in the 19th century and was based on standards for white Europeans at that time, so it may not be accurate to assess the health of different demographics, including people of different races.
Despite its limitations, higher BMI is a good reason to get vaccinated
While a higher BMI does not guarantee health problems, there is good evidence that people with obesity are at greater risk for serious complications due to COVID-19.
For this reason, obesity is considered in many states as a qualifying condition for early access to a vaccine.
It can also complicate someone’s relationship with the medical industry, as weight stigma is widespread, causing people to be embarrassed and marginalized even by some doctors because they are obese.
It can discourage people from being vaccinated if they are obese.
However, despite the nuanced link between weight and health, it is best to sign up for the vaccine if you can, to protect yourself and the community, experts told Anna Miller earlier to Insider.
“If you can avoid becoming COVID, you can save yourself from enduring not only serious illnesses and remaining complications, but also weight-loss medical care that could worsen your outcomes,” said Christy Harrison, a dietitian registered against diet. is the host of the Food Psych podcast, previously told to Insider.