Fat people even more likely to be affected by COVID than previously thought

[pocketem]

UK government scientists are urgently investigating whether people living with obesity may be disproportionately affected by the coronavirus, after emerging data from intensive care units suggested a stronger link than previously thought.

New data from the UK’s Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre, which has been presented to ministers and SAGE scientists, has found that the proportion of severely obese patients in ICUs is twice the proportion in the general population.

Ministers have become increasingly alarmed by data coming out of Britain’s intensive care units, with some members of the government suggesting obesity may end up being a factor in the UK’s higher death toll.

The UK is currently projected to have the highest number of coronavirus deaths in Europe. Around 1 in 4 UK adults are obese. In 2018, the WHO found that the UK had the third highest obesity rate in Europe, behind only Malta and Turkey.

More here:
www.buzzfeed.com/amphtml/alexwickham/uk-scientists-coronavirus-obesity-link

@Querlouse I am glad you lost weight, but the research does not back you up.
We actually know what we need to do as a society to tackle this issue, there is no political will to do so.
And I have lived in other countries where the government does actually actively encourage people to exercise. There is very little of that in the UK.

The Reddit discussions about these threads are brilliant

but the research does not back you up
What research? There's no research that says eating less helps you to lose weight?

I wasn't in the slightest bit happy to lose a stone by the way!

Glad @Xenia checked in this afternoon, I was getting worried - no thread involving pointing at the fatties is complete without their input.

Totally agree.
Overweight and deficient in Vit D are the ones who get complications.
When you see pics of people who've died and are not elderly they are mostly fat.
Boris is fat.
The elderly are deficient in Vitamin D (as are most of the population in winter here.
BAME are also deficient in VitaminD as sunlight does not react as easily with darker skin.
I low a number of people (including me and DH) who have had symptoms but not suffered anything worse than a bout of flu.
We all do a lot of outdoor sport, take supplements and are not fat.

I've been reading this whilst eating a late lunch. Full of healthy veg and healthy protein. Good fats including advocado, seeds and nuts. Not cheap especially the nuts. It would've been much cheaper to have eaten cheap processed white bread with some cheap processed meat or cheese or shop bought baked beans (with sugar and salt).

Many poor people don't have easy access to an oven or any proper cooking facilities. Hundreds of thousands live in temporary accommodation, often whole families to one room. Those who do have their own home are reliant on food banks. Likely cheap processed food.

With MH (whatever someone's income). Comfort eating is as deserving of compassion and help through MH support as is anorexia. It's also unfortunate that a lot of MH medication can cause weight gain.

Someone suffers an injury or develops a disabling condition, perhaps needing a hip replacement for example, that requires treatment. They're put on a very long NHS waiting list. Meanwhile they have limited mobility making exercise difficult.

If people wanted to save the NHS money we need to take a long-term attitude. Treat the causes, take a preventative approach. That includes non medical issues such as housing and access to healthy food. Costs more upfront but it would see long-term savings and not just to the NHS.

We all do a lot of outdoor sport, take supplements and are not fat us too. I was actually quite ill with it but dh wasn't at all.

Some people are overweight because they don’t have access to fresh food, etc but I don’t think it’s just that. It’s also about education, food culture, etc. It’s about whether you think a good snack is a banana or a chocolate bar; whether you give your child a glass of water when they say they are thirsty or a glass of apple juice; etc.

I've just had a can of sardines on brown toast and an apple. Probably cost less than a pound!

When are we finally going to admit that being fat is an underlying health condition as much as anything else?

Being overweight is not about being happy with your size/making your own choices, it is unhealthy, as much as smoking, drinking, or taking drugs.

@Stellamboscha totally agree . And the crazy thing is this lockdown will deprive people even more of vit D, exercise , and overweight people will grow even more (and normal weight if they start the beige carb snacking )

I’m a doctor, and I’m obese (BMI above 40). I work in a stressful job where getting a break isn’t guaranteed, so when I get one I eat more than I probably should as I don’t know when I’ll next get to stop.

I haven’t always been this weight. I’ve lost and gained the entirety of my body weight more times than I can remember. I started using food as a primary school child to help deal with an difficult childhood and dysfunctional parents. Then, as an adult, when I was a normal weight I was sexually assaulted and piled the weight on. After almost a decade I lost weight, and was sexually assaulted by someone else. Guess what? I put even more weight on.

For me, being thin feels unsafe. For much of my life I’ve just had to carry on functioning by squashing my feelings down through using food. I don’t drink often, I don’t smoke, I take regular exercise and do a job that involves being on my feet most of the day. Food is pretty much my only vice.

At the moment, due to (non-BMI related) health conditions I am not able to do my usual job. I now have more time so can eat healthier and have lost some weight. My BMI is now just above 40 and slowly continues to fall.

I’m fully aware of the health impacts of severe obesity, but the over-simplistic “eat less, move more” approach entirely overlooks the psychological and social determinants of obesity, as well as some other biological factors. I have an eating disorder, but it’s never been recognised as one. I haven’t received psychological support in the same way someone with anorexia or bulimia would, and I’m aware that diets etc won’t fix the underlying problem.

Obesity is a multifactorial problem. There is no simplistic answer to solve it across our society. For some, it’s a case of needing education, some need drugs or surgery, some need psychological support, and some need lifting out of poverty.

The data from ICNARC quoted in much of the press seems to show obese people (even those with BMI above 40) are no more likely to be critically ill than any other group, just that there are more of them as a proportion of the population than people with lower BMIs. It’s also not yet possible to disaggregate BMI from other underlying health conditions when looking at COVID mortality figures.

"@Gwenhwyfar There was lots of resistance to introducing seat belt legislation and making it compulsory to wear helmets when riding a motorbike. Dis not stop us doing them."

I didn't say it should stop us doing them. I'm just saying there's resistance to the 'nanny state'.
It's funny with safety things, we're hearing similar arguments now e.g. people will be more complacent if they're wearing masks, it's like saying let's not have seat belts because it will make people drive more recklessly.

Personally, I'm in favour of high taxes on junk food, subsidies on healthy food, super healthy free school meals, high taxes on petrol and highly subsidised public transport after lockdown, but I'm not the one who has to get myself elected.

Not all weight gain is due to over eating...medication for some conditions can cause bloating. My BIL was put on steroids earlier in the year following an asthma attack that landed him in ICU for a few days. Since taking them he's gone up a couple of sizes, even though his diet hasn't changed (he's eating less, in fact because he can't exercise as much as he used to). He's always eaten a healthy diet, doesn't drink alcohol and is one day hoping to get back to his hill-running. But I suppose none of that matters to some of you because you would just see him as a fat, lazy man who should have more self control.

Obviously

Great to know that when I die you can all say, well she was fat.
Happy days.

Yeah sorry but majority of fat people have heath problems linked to being overweight.
loads of people don't care and take no responsibility for there won health.
Friend work in primary school they priced up the cost of some of the packed lunches the kids got sent with.
cans of proper red bull mars bars Pringles and cold mcdonald's on average the cost of the content of a shit packed lunch was almost twice of a healthy option .

I know it’s my fault I’m like this. It’s hard to explain though for people who have never had issues with food how to tackle it. I was thin for years and I could never have imagined in a million years I’d end up like this. I lost loads of weight before but was still “overweight” and the message that time was that nope, you were still a problem, still a health risk, had to be a healthy weight. So I just couldn’t get any more weight and piled more back on. It’s now at the stage it’s like looking at the summit of Mount Everest from base camp and just feeling totally daunted at the task ahead. Coupled with things like mental health problems it’s hard just to even put that first foot in front o the other let alone get to the top.

Self-esteem is often through the floor too. You’re told you’re a burden, a drain, useless and lazy, selfish, should pay for all your own treatment. These are the messages in the media, social media and on places like this by some posters. No ones going to see themselves as valuable and worth looking after if that’s what they think about themselves. Then on top of that people are told “lose weight!” But then in the next breath that people can’t keep weight off once it’s lost.

People are more than just their size. Yes I’m fat but I’m also clever, hardworking, a good mum, wife, daughter, friend sister etc. Not the lazy, work shy, selfish piece of shit. None of that helps with the virus it’s true but some people are unnecessarily unkind to people who are frightened.

Oh and I was having tests for my damn thyroid, as all my family have thyroid problems, I was borderline.
So fat still

@NotAnotherAlias thank you for your post. Totally agree about the eating disorder part of it and the lack of psychological support for those who are obese. I too have gone from a lowish BMI (around 20 I think) to my heaviest a month and a half ago which was 42.2, up and down all my adult life. Good luck on your weight loss journey

Mikki2019 Why would the UK lockdown deprive people of Vitamin D? Unlike the many permanently housebound we are able to go out for walks and fresh air. We haven't had a lockdown like many other countries - Spain, Italy, France, etc. Admittedly we might have to have a stricter lockdown if we prematurely end this one and end up with a bad second wave. That really would be bad particularly given it would likely coincide with a heatwave.

Seriously you have to be pretty stupid to send cold McDonald’s as your child's lunch, even fat people like me, eat and buy salad and chicken, fruit and yoghurt.

And. I thought only teenagers bought red bull.