Reposted from @healthmisinfo:
The case for “obesity is the real cause of COVID-19 deaths” is overstated because health influencers are exploiting it to build market share and clientele.
“Obesity not COVID is the real problem” is a cynical, fake narrative motivated by greed.
Some might say: "80% of deaths/complications/etc. are in people with obesity!!!"
Actually, the stat is: 78% of Americans hospitalized for COVID are overweight or obese:
http://www.cnbc.com/…/covid-cdc-study-finds-roughly…
Another stat? 74% of Americans are overweight or obese:
www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm
Overweight and obese are not greatly overrepresented among people hospitalized for COVID.
And death?
A study of 17M people found only a 1.92 higher risk of death from COVID from class III obesity (BMI >40) (PMID 32640463).
For reference, a BMI chart. Top right corner. Red.
In this same study, class I obesity (BMI 30-35) showed no increased risk vs. normal weight.
Being 10 years older associated with an increased risk many times greater than class II obesity (BMI 35-40). The same for simply being male.
Almost every comorbidity showed a comparable or larger increase in risk than a BMI of 35-40.
Now some figures from CDC and Statista.
42.4% Americans are obese
9.2% are severely obese
46% of COVID deaths are in the obese
12.6% are in the severely obese
So nearly all of the disproportionate deaths in the obese (3.6% more than expected) can be accounted for by the severely obese (BMI>40) (3.4%). Non-severely obese adults have only 0.2% higher deaths than expected.
For COVID deaths, being obese (unless severely obese) means little in the grand scheme of risk.
A risk calculator from Oxford confirms:
qcovid.org/Calculation
A visualization:
http://www.economist.com/…/covid-pandemic-mortality-risk…
Obesity is a risk factor for COVID. But this is overstated to sell books, diet coaching, etc.
Buying these things and being lean doesn't provide immunity from dying from COVID.
Even monumental, "holy fuck" weight loss provides only modest protection.
Stop buying the lies.