How to stay safe from Corona virus if you have a weight problem

People who are overweight or obese have a number of issues that make them potentially more vulnerable to Covid based severe illness should they catch the virus.

1. Increased adipose tissue increases how much Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) your body produces. This enzyme binds to the Covid virus and may therefore increase disease severity.
2. People with weight problems are more likely to have Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, respiratory disease (sleep apnoea, asthma, reflux related lung disease), kidney disease and other conditions that increase risks of causing severe illness from Covid.
3. People with weight problems are harder to look after in ICU and are more prone to complications when on a ventilator for a prolonged time.

So, what can be done about this?

First up, its important not to let worry dominate our lives, as that gets in the way of living. It is possible however to use legitimate concerns as a “call to action” to improve not just our health as it relates to Covid but our health overall. Experts have a number of suggestions that will help.

1. Take social isolation and personal hygiene seriously and ensure that those around you do as well. Official government guidelines have been consistently accurate for the last few weeks and they do a far better job to inform us on the steps we need to take than what may pop up from unofficial sources and armchair experts.
2. Ensure your medical conditions are optimally controlled. Now is a perfect time to get in touch with your GP and get a check-up.
3. Work on your fitness. This will improve respiratory health, reduce your blood pressure and help control your blood sugars.
4. Eat well and avoid snacking. If you are eating more than 3 times a day you are highly likely to be gaining weight. Calorie containing drinks (milky coffee, alcohol, juice etc all count as snacks).Weight gain increases stress on all your bodies vital functions if you are overweight.
5. Consider short- or long-term weight management strategies. While many traditional weight management options are not available during this time there are things you can try that can work well. Losing 5-10% of your weight can have profound effects on many illnesses if you are carrying too many Kg’s.
   1. Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD) such as Optifast ™ these high protein/low carbohydrate meal replacements can replace 1-2 meals a day to promote weight maintenance, or 2-3 meals a day for rapid and safe weight loss.
   2. Intermittent fasting. The 5:2 diet whereby you fast 2 days a week or the 16:8 diet where you only eat or have calorie containing liquids for 8 hours a day are options that may work while our new routine is in “lock-down”.
   3. Medically supervised options. These are more complex and rely on a mix of exercise, dietary change and VLCD, and occasionally medical therapies to suppress hunger or cravings.

While weight loss surgery has been proven to provide a sustained weight loss greater than 5-10 times what can be achieved with the methods above it will not be an option for us until some of the social isolation restrictions are lifted in the coming months. Now however could be a good time to consider a long-term weight management plan that could help protect you from this and other dangerous health problems in the future. Our offices are open to offer medical advice to people with a weight problem or people who have had previous weight-loss surgery to help keep them safe during this time.

A/Prof Michael Talbot