Professor Lee Myung-sook of Sungshin Women’s University announces COVID-19: “Nutrition Agenda”
If obese, the risk of positive test 1.5 times, mortality 1.7 times
[대한급식신문=김나운 기자] Age and obesity were cited as independent risk factors related to Corona 19. This means that the older you are and the more obese you are, the more vulnerable you are to COVID-19.
Professor Lee Myung-sook of the Department of Food and Nutrition at Sungshin Women’s University pointed out that aging-related diseases help the occurrence or worsening of Corona 19 in a review paper (COVID-19:’Nutrition Agenda’) contributed to the journal of the Korean Nutrition Society. Loss of smell and deterioration due to aging, taste disorders, hypoxia, social isolation, and economic vulnerability are risk factors that increase the incidence and mortality of Corona 19.
In fact, the mortality rate (CFR) relative to the number of patients infected with COVID-19 is the highest (21%) among those over 80 years old. This is followed by 6.7% in their 70s and 1.3% in their 60s, and those who are younger than this are less than 1.0%.
There is no gender difference in the COVID-19 mortality rate. There are racial differences. Whites are the highest (52.1%), blacks (21%) and Asians (5%), followed by Hawaiians with 0.2%.
As you age, your risk of developing sarcopenia increases. Social distancing caused by Corona 19 can further increase the risk of developing sarcopenia. In a clinical study in which whey protein was supplied for 12 weeks in elderly 70-85 years old, the more the daily protein supply increased, the more effective it was in preventing sarcopenia, senility, and weakness.
Protein supplementation to strengthen muscle function is also important for the production of proteins involved in immune function activity in response to infectious respiratory diseases such as Corona 19. When the protein supply is insufficient, the ratio of fat and carbohydrate intake is relatively increased to synthesize body fat, so muscle loss and obesity can occur at the same time.
Obesity also shows a high correlation with Corona 19. If you are obese, even patients with COVID-19 under the age of 60 may need intensive care treatment. According to the results of the meta-analysis, obese people had a 1.5 times higher risk of corona19 positive test, 1.7 times higher mortality rate, and 2.1 times higher likelihood of admission to the intensive care unit than those who were skinny.
Obese people have a high mortality rate because they have less lung capacity due to weakened cardiopulmonary function, and thrombotic clots in blood vessels easily appear when infected with Corona 19.
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