Your Weight and Covid-19 by Aliza Beer, MS RD CDN

Health & F tness

Your Weight and Covid-19

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued a warning: being somewhat overweight (not only being considered obese) will increase the risk of a severe form of Covid-19.

At the start of this pandemic, it was clear that obesity played a significant role in the mortality rates of this disease, but new research has shown that even a moderate amount of excess weight will increase the likelihood of a severe disease. Currently, about 40% of the U.S. adult population is obese, and another 32% are considered overweight. This means that almost three-quarters of the American population is at an increased risk of severe Covid-19 if they were to get infected. Extra weight has been proven to increase risk of other diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and many cancers but now we have an additional and very pressing concern.

The CDC issued its warning after reviewing multiple studies carried out in the United Kingdom and in Downstate Health Sciences University in Brooklyn, New York. After the researchers adjusted for age, diabetes and other factors, they found that Covid-19 patients who were overweight or obese were at an increased risk of requiring mechanical assistance with breathing and had higher mortality rates. In these studies, the overweight patients surprisingly fared even worse than the obese patients. Overweight patients were 40 percent more likely to die than healthy weight patients, but obese patients were 30 percent more likely when compared to healthy weight patients. These percentages are significant and alarming.

So what is a healthy weight? A healthy weight is calculated using a person’s Body Mass Index, which is an estimate of how much body fat a person has and is based on height and weight. BMI can easily be googled and a calculator located online can help you determine your BMI number. People with a BMI of less than 18.5 are underweight; a range of 18.5 and 24.9 is considered to be of healthy weight. A BMI of 25-29.9 is considered to be in the overweight range, and a BMI of 30 or more is obese. The downside to using BMI as a tool to determine healthy weight is that it is a universal calculation and does not differentiate between gender and age. The issue with that is women usually have more fat than men, and older people generally have more fat than younger people. Athletes tend to have less fat than non-athletes.

Although BMI is not an exact science, it can give us an overall idea if a person is within a healthy range. Another trick I learned when I was a student was that a woman of 5 feet should be 100 pounds, and every inch above that add 5 pounds, take that number and add and subtract 10 percent and that will be the person’s healthy weight range. For example, a woman that is 5’5” should have a range of 112.5-137.5 pounds. Similarly, a man at 5 feet should be 106 pounds and for every inch above that add 6 pounds, plus and minus 10 percent for his range. So a man whose height is 5’ 10” should weigh between 150-182. These calculations are not taking into account a person who is very muscular and exercises often. Muscle weighs more than fat and will inflate the number on the scale. Additionally, there are some people that have a larger and heavier frame than others. So don’t panic if your BMI indicates that you are overweight, but

Although BMI is not an exact science, it can give us an overall idea if a person is within a healthy range.

rather take it as a sign that it’s time to see your physician to get an accurate assessment as to how much you as an individual should weigh.

It’s not just the weight that is important but how the body stores the weight. I once had a patient who had a healthy BMI but stored all of his fat in his abdomen. He had heart disease and his cardiologist referred him to me to help him achieve weight loss. Abdominal obesity can increase the risk of heart attacks and may also cause compression of the diaphragm, lungs, and chest cavity. This may lead to compromised breathing, which is an issue for someone with Covid-19, pneumonia, or other respiratory illness. Additionally, excess adipose tissue, which is the fat accumulated by the body, can cause chronic low-grade inflammation in the body. This will compromise our immunity, which needs strengthening not weakening in our current health climate.

If you gained those extra pounds due to quarantine, or had them even before the pandemic, now is the time to reassess and prioritize what’s really important. It behooves all of us to eat healthier and smarter than we ever have before. Don’t focus on the ideal weight if the number feels too far out of reach. Make small goals for yourself, then the larger goal will be easier to attain and maintain. Even a 7-10% weight loss can make a huge impact on your metabolism. Once you reach that goal, go for the next 10% and so on.

Don’t give up on yourself! As we have all learned, there are many things in life that are out of our control. What you eat, however, is completely within your control – you just have to decide to seize control.

Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer.