A new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated that the vast majority of people in the United States who faced complications related to Covid-19 infection are either overweight or obese.

For the study, the researchers examined 150,000 Covid-19-hospitalised patients admitted across 200 hospitals in the US between March and December 2020. In the study, 50.2 per cent were classified as obese, while 27.8 per cent were overweight.

The study revealed that patients with a BMI of 45 or higher, which corresponds to severe obesity, were 33 per cent more likely to be hospitalised and 61 per cent more likely to die than those who were at a healthy weight.

WHO experts raise concerns over post-Covid symptoms

Earlier studies have also claimed that inflammation caused by excess fat tissue in obese and overweight patients worsens the outcome of Covid-19 infection, which again triggers inflammation.

In an interview with the US Today , Dr. Ethan Lazarus, president-elect of the Obesity Medicine Association, said that excess weight can also lead to difficulty breathing.

“It’s not from carrying the weight. Their lungs are restricted so they’re not able to expand to get the oxygen they need,” Lazarus added.

CDC, in a separate study, found that over 40 per cent of Americans are obese, while more than 70 per cent are overweight.

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