Besides advanced age, obesity is by far the most common and one of the most dangerous risk factors for Covid 19. We all know that co-morbidities such as high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and chronic heart conditions increase your risk of death from Covid 19. This makes sense because Covid 19 weakens your lungs, so if infected, there’s less oxygen available. In response, your heart has to pump faster and your blood pressure rises. Also Type 2 diabetes throws off your immune system, and a compromised immune system is less able to fight off the virus.
A study at Stanford Medical School shows that fat cells may be the most dangerous resevoir of Covid 19 in your body. The more fat stores you have, the larger the resevoir. That means that the virus being made inside your fat cells can overwhelm your defenses.
Therefore, it is not just the fact that obesity can tax your heart and blood vessels if infected, but the more fat you have, the more virus your body produces. That explains why Covid 19 wards in hospitals are loaded with obese patients. The older and heavier these patients are, the more likely they are to end up in the intensive care, or ultimately die.
People with a BMI (body mass index) between 30-35 can be expected to live three years less and those above 55 BMI as much as 14 years less under normal conditions, but with Covid-19, it could be much worse.
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Author Gerald M. Parker, D.O. Dr. Parker has been practicing as a Doctor of Osteopathy for over 30 years in the Amarillo area. He specializes in treating allergies, atherosclerosis, hormones, pain, obesity, and strokes. Dr. Parker has had ample training in the field of stem cell therapy and completed module I and II workshops by the American Academy of Stem Cell Physicians. He is a member of various organizations, including the American Osteopathic Association, American Osteopathic College of Pain Management and Sclerotherapy, American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine, and American College of Regenerative Medicine. He’s received recognition as a Physician of the Year by the National Republican Congressional Committee’s Physician’s Advisory Board and is on Marquis’ “Who’s Who in the World” and “Who’s Who in Medicine” list. Dr. Parker has shared his expertise on TV shows, such as “The Today Show,” and “That’s Incredible.”
