Obesity driving one in six UK deaths from infection, new research reveals
People with obesity more likely to contract serious infections
- New research suggests that obesity is a significant contributing factor to deaths from infectious diseases, accounting for one in six globally.
- In 2023, obesity was linked to 0.6 million out of 5.4 million infectious disease deaths worldwide, and 7,300 out of 42,000 in the UK.
- Obese people face a 70 per cent higher risk of hospitalisation or death from infections like flu and pneumonia, with severely obese people having three times the risk.
- The study, published in The Lancet, found that obesity weakens the body's immune defences, making recovery from infections more challenging.
- Experts suggest that weight loss drugs and improved weight-management services could help mitigate these health risks and reduce infection-related mortality.
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