Obesity and diabetes increase risk of severe covid-19 4:57
(CNN) -
The risk of death from covid-19 is roughly 10 times higher in countries where the majority of the population is overweight, according to a report released Wednesday by the World Obesity Forum.
The researchers found that by the end of 2020, global death rates from COVID-19 were more than 10 times higher in countries where more than half of adults are overweight, compared to countries where less than half are overweight.
The team examined mortality data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) and found that of the 2.5 million COVID-19 deaths reported at the end of February, 2.2 million were produced in countries where more than half the population is overweight.
In an analysis of data and studies from more than 160 countries, the researchers found that death rates from covid-19 increased along with the prevalence of obesity in the countries.
They note that the link persisted even after adjusting for age and national wealth.
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The report found that all countries where less than 40% of the population were overweight had a low rate of death from COVID-19 of no more than 10 people per 100,000.
But in countries where more than 50% of the population was overweight, the death rate from Covid-19 was much higher: more than 100 per 100,000.
Researchers say that being overweight can also worsen other health problems and viral infections, such as H1N1, the flu, and Middle East respiratory syndrome.
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The World Obesity Forum suggests prioritizing people living with obesity for covid-19 testing and vaccination.
"An overweight population is an unhealthy population and a pandemic waiting to happen," the group writes.
In the United States, about three-quarters of the population is overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).