News: Obesity linked to risk of severe, fatal infections, study finds

Obesity was linked to a higher risk for infection-related hospitalizations and death, according to a prospective study published in The Lancet that looked at two Finnish cohorts and an independent population from the United Kingdom Biobank.

According to the study, compared to individuals with a healthy weight, individuals with class III obesity (defined as a body mass index [BMI] of greater than or equal to 40) had increased risk of:

• Infection-related hospital admissions
• Death
• Either outcome

Applying the results to global burden of disease data, “the population attributable fractions of infection-related deaths due to obesity were estimated at 8–6% (6.6–11.1) in 2018, 15·0% (12.8–17.4) in 2021, and 10·8% (8.6–13.6) in 2023,” the study authors wrote.

"These findings suggest that approximately one in 10 infection-related deaths worldwide might be attributable to adult obesity, highlighting its substantial contribution to the global communicable disease burden," the authors also wrote. 

Editor’s note: To read the full study in The Lancet, click here. To read MedPage Today’s coverage, click here.