More evidence is out that shows we are actually experiencing an obesity pandemic, not a Covid pandemic, with the release of an analysis of more than 400,000 cases in 75 studies.
People with obesity and Covid-19 were twice as likely to end up in a hospital and 74% more likely to be admitted to intensive care. They were also more at risk of dying from the disease caused by coronavirus.
“Pooled analysis show individuals with obesity were more at risk for COVID‐19 positive, 46.0% higher; for hospitalization, 113% higher; for ICU admission, 74%; and for mortality, 48% increase in deaths.”
“…it is quite possible that social distancing and stay‐at‐home policies may exacerbate adverse weight and health situations through their effects on dietary and physical activity patterns.”
No, I’m not fat shaming. Obesity is deadly, and even more so in a world with Covid-19. It is exactly as simple as pointing out that people who smoke cigarettes have a much better chance of dying of lung cancer. Or heavy drinkers have with liver and heart disease.
The data on obesity and coronavirus deaths was evident from the first data coming out of China, which I addressed in blogs and on Facebook way back in March.
I don’t have a quick way to do these numbers but I would anticipate that if we take out the patients who die with obesity and/or extreme age as a factor Coronavirus would be a non-issue compared to other sources of death in the world. I do know that over 50% of deaths in the US are 75 years and older (the majority 85 and older), and that demographic accounts for less than 10% of the cases.
I will repost my blogs from March below; I have some instructive points on avoiding Coronavirus that are still applicable.
“When you sit down to dine…consider carefully what is before you, And put a knife to your throat If you are a man of great appetite. Do not desire … delicacies, for it is deceptive food.” Proverbs 23:2
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/obr.13128
I really want to point out that I’m not so much focused on individual decisions regarding food, but cultural and political decisions made by our government and organizations to shut down a world economy over something that is addressable and is relatively limited. As I related in one of my blogs, we could have funded stay-at-home meal delivery and had live music playing in the parking lot for people who had to stay at home for a fraction of the cost that we’ve lost in our world economy already. Heck, we could have given them coronavirus-screened free cruises around the world for a fraction of the cost we’ve spent.
The Rhythms of His Glorious Grace 