Obesity increases the probability of becoming infected by almost 50%, doubles the probability of being admitted to a hospital and increases mortality by 48%
The well-known January survey of Ipsos compiled in one study revealed the impact of the pandemic on food and health, which specifies that worldwide the average number of kilos gained stands at 6.1 kilos since the arrival of COVID-19, joins the challenge of facing new waves of pandemic and other strains.
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Complications are triple according to a document presented by specialists from the University of Navarra: obesity raises the likelihood of becoming infected by COVID-19 by almost 50%, doubles the likelihood of being admitted to a hospital, and raises mortality by 48%. With this data, it seems indisputable that it has never been more necessary than now to protect yourself and return to a healthy weight.
The serious thing about the issue is that the number of obese people in the world has increased from about 100 million in 1975 to 700 million today. The coronavirus pandemic will go into history, but it will disappear; Obesity seems to be here to stay.
The silent inheritance
The best assessment of the damage done by excess weight is provided by the “Global Burden of Disease” (GBD-2017). In this study, they assessed 68.5 million children and adults in 195 countries between 1980 and 2015 and quantified the disease burden related to a high body mass index (BMI). They concluded that no less than 4 million deaths a year in the world were due to high BMI.
Although BMI is not a perfect indicator, as it can rise in people with a lot of muscle mass, it is the most commonly used and practical. It is calculated by dividing the weight (in kilos) by the squared size (in meters). Thus, a person weighing 80 kg and measure 1.70 m will have a BMI of 27.68 (because 80 out of 1.7 squared is equal to 27.68).
Ideally, BMI should be at approximately 22. Overweight is defined as a BMI greater than 25 and obesity is defined as 30. In the GBD-2017 study, nearly 40% of excess deaths were in people who were overweight or obese.
“We could continue for decades talking about genes and molecules, looking for the culprits of obesity, while noting how badly the most basic actions of prevention and public health are being carried out,” explains Miguel Martínez González, one of the specialists at the University of Navarra in charge of the report. The paradox is that no other country has so much research on these genes and molecules as in the US, which is where morbid obesity rates rise the most. One in 12 Americans is already a candidate for bariatric surgery, popularly known as stomach reduction.
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You don’t have to fool yourself by blaming genes and molecules. The branch can’t cover the forest. What you have to do is eat less. It takes willpower, commitment, free decision, control and more. But this seems increasingly difficult in a culture dominated by atrocious materialism and where citizens are little more than minions or puppets in the hands of powerful business interests of those large corporations that sell food and junk drink.
The challenge of overcoming obesity is not only physiological but also cultural. A consumerist and hedonistic culture leaves the citizen defenseless and encourages obesogenic behaviors. Perhaps decision, courage, and radicalism are lacking to confront a deep cultural deficit at its roots.