New Study Showing the Risks of Obesity and COVID-19
Pre COVD-19, the extra 30 pounds that you carried presented a long term risk for diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Today they dramatically increase your risk of COVID-19 related complications.
A new study from New York University revealed that obesity is a significant risk factor for COVID-19 progression. For perspective, a body mass index (BMI) of 18.5 - 25 is normal. The NYU researchers found that patients younger than 60 with a BMI between 30-34 were twice as likely to be admitted to acute care and 1.8 times more likely to be admitted to critical care than patients with a BMI under 30. Patients under 60 with a BMI greater than 35 were 2.2 times more likely to be admitted to acute care and 3.6 times more likely to be admitted to critical care.
With a COVID-19 vaccine likely unavailable for 12 - 18 months and federal and state officials pushing to re-open commerce and society, some epidemiologists predict that as much as 81% of the US population will contract COVID-19. So, while you still want to do everything possible to avoid infection, you should also start thinking about how to reduce your risks of progression to acute or critical care. Obesity isn’t the only co-morbidity that impacts these risks, there’s also diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
At the Johnson Center, we’ve worked for years to help our patients avoid or minimize these conditions. Our objective is to work with our patients to achieve their goals, whether it is to optimize their existing health, to age more gracefully or help to alleviate chronic complex medical conditions. While we continue along that course today, the risk factors related to COVID-19 make it absolutely critical for everyone to immediately reduce these co-morbid factors.
Functional Medicine at the Johnson Center
Most primary care physicians are trained to treat existing illnesses with drugs like insulin or statins. At the Johnson Center, we work to eliminate the causes of these illnesses.
How do we do this?
We start with blood tests and extensive medical history to gauge your current health and lifestyle factors such as nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress that impact health. When needed, we recommend other testing, like the Organic Acid Test, which can identify molds and other toxins in your system that may prevent weight loss or cause further damage. Genetic testing can also reveal your predisposition for diseases like diabetes and Alzheimers (and many others), and the foods that your body processes most effectively.
We develop a wellness plan that’s customized for your current health status, age, and lifestyle and monitor your progress as we implement the plan together along with our health coach. Most of our patients lose weight under these plans, but almost all report increased energy and vitality while bloodwork show markers like decreased fasting blood sugar and insulin that indicate improved metabolic health. Viewed within the COVID-19 lens, these same markers also indicate lower risk of disease progression.
Whether you contact us, another physician, or create your own plan, we strongly urge you to recognize that it’s never been a more urgent time to get healthy. Pre COVID-19, the extra 30 pounds that you carried presented a long-term risk for diabetes and other metabolic disorders. Today, they dramatically increase your risk of COVID-19 related progression.
