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

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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

Thank

Anorexia is a recognised mental health condition
Bulimia is a recognised mental health condition. Occasionally a cause of obesity.
Binge Eating Disorder is a recognised mental health condition. Often a cause of obesity.

So there are mental health diagnoses for obese people. However there are some on this thread who seem to want there to be another recognised mental health category to cover obesity (besides certain physical medical conditions). And what’s that? It would seem this other category would be definite by lack of will power of motivation to eat anything other than fatty calorie laden food general desire to eat shit in quantity. But having a diagnosis would what... make it ok?

I wonder if people who were overweight and have had bariatric surgery are less/more at risk following surgery.

No @Lily193, I can't provide the link you request. And to correct you, I'm not saying obesity is significant - the Scientists who advise the government are. Watch the Whitty lecture. And Jenny Harries. I listen to them, and they say it's significant. The are investigating it, but say it's a contributing factor towards poor outcomes for Covid19 patients.

No sodamn it would not make it OK to be obese, but it might help to fix it .

Once you get very overweight you stop caring about yourself I think . I absolutely despise myself, have done since I started puberty about 18 years ago . I don’t believe I deserve to feel good . I was bullied so badly at school that I had to hide in a locked staff room at breaks and ten years on I find my peers absolutely terrifying and don’t have real friends . This isolation is quite normal for me .

It’s very, very hard work to even get dressed in the morning never mind be concerned about what I’m eating most days - it takes all your mental energy to do it .

What I’m saying is ... if it were eating and drinking less and that simple I’d do it - but if your head’s in a mess too you can’t just crack on with it .

But my GP last week as I cried down phone for half hour telling her I was sorry for being fat and her very calmly telling me it’s not my fault, it never has been, this wasn’t my choice - that I have disordered eating from childhood trauma and I was just trying to protect myself - has been like a very small light in a very dark tunnel. If it’s not my fault, maybe I’m not the horrible person as I feel, I’m not all the things I’ve been called - and maybe I do owe myself some compassion and nurturing.

Maybe if I can hold on to that feeling I’ll keep losing the weight .

I’m aware that doesn’t apply all over to everyone with a weight issue - but I’d guess it does to at least some .

Lily193

Not sure if you've been keeping up.with the news, but there is no definitive answers as to why Covid-19 affects some more than others. There has been some speculation that obese people may be more susceptible to this virus. That is what we are discussing.

@BBCONEANDTWO

I wonder if people who were overweight and have had bariatric surgery are less/more at risk following surgery

That’s an interesting question. I know that rapid weight loss after surgery “ cures” type 2 diabetes within weeks ( technically I think it’s in remission rather than cured).

So I’m assuming that there will be other health gains as well, such as reducing the amount of meds for high blood pressure etc.

And if people are eating tiny amounts I assume it affects their insulin resistance as well.

There’s some suggestions that metabolic syndrome is a big risk factor for Covid19 rather than just obesity. Although it’s hard to tell obviously as most people have both.

The link with trauma tells me that food is being used like a drug.

Trauma has always existed but only fairly recently did people en masse turn to food for comfort. How did someone in despair in the 50s find solace? Booze/drugs/fags maybe? But it wouldn’t have been possible to seek comfort in food the way people do now. And we are ENCOURAGED to. “You deserve it! Treat yourself! You’ve had a tough day!” You eat whatever your poison is (mine was crisps) and AAAAH THATS BETTER

This highly addictive processed junk is pushed, is available 24/7 in super sizes and multi packs and then guess what people get addicted to it. That was the bloody point!!!

@Siameasy. I agree with the fact that the food is processed is addictive. Probably years ago no-one used food as a comfort because there wasn't the amount of sweets, fizzy drinks, cakes, beautiful tiger loafs around. In the olden days people had to cook from scratch and it would be a lot more basic unless you were really rich and could afford a housefuls of servants.

I mean - who doesn't like a McDonalds but it's full of calories and not much nutrition - in the olden days it would be a mutton stew with potatoes and veg - not quite as addictive but eaten for sustenance rather than pleasure.

Querlouse Very sorry for any confusion - I was specifically questioning the use of the word significant and asking about the study that has shown this. It's now clear the PP wasn't actually talking about a statistically significant association at all.

@ BBCONEANDTWO
I wonder if people who were overweight and have had bariatric surgery are less/more at risk following surgery

I’ve had Bariatric surgery a long time ago .
One thing that people who have this are at risk from is lack of vitamins which can cause chronic fatigue, chronic pain and suffering from anaemia

You often can’t absorb tablet form vitamins after BariatricPal surgery so need to take liquid / spray types versions of vitamins
I take spray / liquid versions of
vitamin D
B12 Spray & injection
Liquid Iron spray.

People that have gallstone or other stomach surgery can suffer from similar effects .

When I slack on my vitamins the change for me is very very noticeable within a week or two at thr the most

Yes it’s a known link, obese people are almost 40% more likely to die. It’s not made up, it’s from the biggest study of hospital admissions on Covid.
Half of all patients had no underlying conditions whatsoever.
www.imperial.ac.uk/news/197216/being-male-overweight-lead-more-serious/

I think there is quite a lot of interest in the obesity factor. Certainly health issues linked to obesity seem to be a factor in poor outcomes

I know BBC there is just so much choice of addictive food. And you can get McDs delivered..I was shocked when I found that out. When it was an actual effort to go and get said addictive food most people prob couldn’t be bothered but now it’s just so so easy. It’s wrong but that’s capitalism

I remember discovering McDonald’s delivery when at suicidal rock bottom February last year ... only had to walk 100 steps to get it and didn’t even need to get out of my pyjamas ... I ordered (I remember it clearly) a burger, chicken nuggets, chips, oasis drink, milkshake, ice cream and a cookie .

I consumed the lot - I was physically out of breath and bloated after and I didn’t enjoy it ... I must have done it half a dozen times within a fortnight .

I could do the same with a Dominos, a Chinese, fish and chips ... I’ve eaten my way through entire sharing bars of chocolate in seconds before .

I’ve been addicted to codeine before and the ‘hit’ feels very similar . I notice the same with online shopping, online gaming and social media . It hits a ‘bingo’ button in your brain - pleasure - then the satisfaction goes and you go back for more . That hit just doesn’t come with a carrot although I wish it did !

@lesbihonest love your username!!!! I know what you mean about addiction - it's hard isn't it. Must be something wired in certain people's brains that they become addicted to things like food, cigarettes, drink. Carrots just don't do it for snacks though - NO WAY ha ha.

Causation versus correlation.

Is obesity the cause or symptom of poor under lying health?
Is vitamin D deficiency the cause or symptom of poor under lying health?

We could go around in circles all day discussing this and missing the point rather than considering how economic inequality is correlated to poor health.

Really interesting about addiction. I don't like codeine. I have about 100 30mg pills (knee op) and haven't taken them. I don't think I have the addiction gene. I do like drinking alcohol and eating toast! I love a cheeky maccy ds but a double cheeseburger and a milkshake is more than enough.

As someone mentioned gallstones heres an old post of mine from a couple of years ago...

HelenaDove Mon 22-Oct-18 19:49:58
I lost 10 stone 16 years ago.. I got gallstones and it got so bad i couldnt eat SOLID food. i went through months and months of excrutiating pain and A + E admissios. In and out of A + E for TEN MONTHS. then doctors coming to my home to give me morphine injections whenever i had an attack . Finally a doctor prescribed me morphine pills which melted under the tongue that i took every time i had an attack. First attack was 3 July 2002 Scan was on 19 Dec 2002 after months of A + E admissions. Early Feb 2003 i got a letter telling me id have to wait for ANOTHER YEAR. I cried my eyes out and actually considered suicide. It was only after a private consultation with a surgeon and then another admission to hospital and an NHS appointment with the same surgeon that my op was promised within 6 weeks It was done 5 weeks later on 28 April 2003.id lost 8 stone by the time i had my op. The surgeon and two doctors told me it was caused by losing weight too fast. (slimming world) The pain was excrutiating and the first attack appeared after id lost nearly 4 stone. Back then i had no idea fast weight loss could cause gallstones I was losing a stone a month and whenever i did try to slow it down i either stayed the same or gained.

I actually did seriously consider suicide especially after i got the letter telling me id have to wait ANOTHER YEAR. I thought it was beyond cruel especially when id lost the weight by myself with willpower.

i believe due to mixing tramadol with as many over the counter drugs as i could in the early months to stop the pain i have been left with long term issues and its also left a bitter taste in the mouth TBH. Im grateful for the NHS but i was in so much pain i was thinking of overdosing (which i was bloody close to anyway) i also think the fact i won Class Slimmer of the Year and started to appear in our local papers may have been a factor in me getting the op sooner than that awful letter said but i shall never know

So now you know why some of the attitudes on here (including those from healthcare professionals) are no surprise to me at all.

I suspect fat people generally know they are fat.

Actually overweight people don't always know this.

Research has been done on this and overweight individuals find it harder to identify other people with a healthy weight as they view being bigger as normal. They've psychologically normalised it.

It's one of the reasons schools have long done bmi tests on kids because overweight parents can't identify when their child is overweight.

It amazed me to see this in action about a month ago when a parent kicked off about getting a letter from school about her daughter and said 'I just don't see it myself' and 'she can't be overweight she's vegetarian'. I was shocked because her daughter certainly isn't a delicate wafe to put it politely.

It tends to be more of a psychological defence mechanism rather than an accurate self assessment in a way that mirrors anorexia.

The inability to assess includes food portioning and not understanding what is a 'normal' size too (which is why the 9inch plate diet is a particularly successful one especially compared to other diet plans).

Red i have a Christmas snack bowl that i use as a cereal bowl.

@RedToothBrush Identifying other people as fat is different from knowing you are fat. I have also read research that fat people if shown photos of different size body shapes and asked to identify the one they look like, choose ones that are fatter than they actually are.
Most people do know they are fat.
A lot of parents though are in denial about how fat their kids or pets are.

And I suspect parents can't see that their child is fat because most parents struggle to see anything wrong with their child.

@lesbihonest Thanks for what you said about my post. You deserve to be healthy and happy, and you should be proud of every step you take to be healthier and happier regardless of how small it is or how long it takes.