Obesity: People living with obesity face a substantially higher risk of severe outcomes from infectious diseases such as flu, Covid-19 and pneumonia, according to a new study published in The Lancet.
Researchers analysing health data from more than 540,000 adults in the UK Biobank and Finnish cohort studies found that participants with obesity were around 70% more likely to be hospitalised or die due to an infectious disease than those in a healthy weight range. Those with the most severe obesity faced roughly three times the risk, the study reported.
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Body mass index (BMI) was recorded at enrolment, and participants were followed for an average of 13–14 years, allowing the team to compare long-term infection-related hospital admissions and deaths across weight categories.
Using those risk estimates to model the global burden, the researchers suggested obesity may have been linked to about 0.6 million of 5.4 million infection-related deaths in 2023, roughly one in ten, while warning that such global estimates should be interpreted cautiously.
The authors said the findings broaden earlier evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic, when obesity was repeatedly associated with higher risks of severe illness, hospitalisation and death, and argued that rising obesity rates could push infection-related hospital admissions higher unless prevention improves.
They also called for policies that support a healthier weight, such as better access to affordable, nutritious food and opportunities for physical activity, alongside measures that reduce severe infection risk in higher-risk groups.
