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According to endocrinologist Guy T’Sjoen, who we mainly know from ‘Topdokters’, there is an easy way to boost your resistance to corona: lose a little weight. After all, we know from the hospital figures that overweight and obesity are risk factors for a serious corona infection. Doctor T’Sjoen explains in Het Laatste Nieuws how much you need to lose weight to be ‘safe’ again.<!– –>
The hospital figures do not lie: those who are overweight (from a BMI higher than 25) or obesity (from a BMI higher than 30) are more likely to become seriously ill and end up in intensive care. According to Sabeth De Waele, head of Intensive Medicine at UZ Brussel, obesity is a crucial characteristic of the profile of the average corona patient. Endocrinologist Guy T’Sjoen also sees that in the corona department of ‘his’ UZ Gent that 60% of patients in intensive care are overweight.
“Slimming if you are overweight or obese is an essential but so far missing corona measure – in addition to washing your hands regularly, wearing mouth masks and keeping your distance,” says T’Sjoen. “In Flanders this is very relevant, because half of the Flemish people are overweight and 16% are obese.”<!– –>
But how much do you have to lose weight? About 5% is sufficient, says T’Sjoen in an interview with Het Laatste Nieuws. “If you weigh 100 kilograms, try to lose weight until you weigh 95. This does not require too great an effort. You can go a long way with more and more frequent exercise and a healthier diet. By Christmas you can already have a good result. ”
“Slimming improves your immune system. A lower weight will not prevent you from contracting a Covid-19 infection, but if you go through it, the chance of a more serious course of the disease is less, ”he said. We do not yet know by what percentage that chance decreases. “But losing weight now is the only thing you can do yourself to ensure that your chance of ending up on intensive care does not increase.”
Why obesity makes you weaker
Of course, 40% of the corona patients in intensive care still have a normal weight, but obesity is therefore a very important factor for the severity of a corona infection. How did that happen?
Firstly, overweight people more often have other health problems, such as high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease or (predisposition to) diabetes, T’Sjoen explains. “If a Covid-19 infection comes on top of that, it gets more difficult.”
But there are also other reasons. “It is more difficult to properly ventilate obese patients. The fat mass in the abdomen presses on the chest, making it less easy to open the lungs ”, says the hormone specialist. Adipose tissue also contains ACE2 receptors, a type of antennae that can pick up the coronavirus. “If you have a lot of adipose tissue and therefore a lot of those gateways through which the virus can enter, you get a much more serious infection,” says T’Sjoen.
Psychologists
“We also know that overweight people already have an increased risk of a thrombosis, and Covid-19 patients are also more likely to develop a thrombosis. Finally, obese people have chronic, mild inflammation. We always notice this during the blood test. These patients have a disturbed immune response because of this chronic inflammation. ”
T’Sjoen hopes for initiatives from the federal government to reduce the average weight of Belgians. T’Sjoen adds that they mainly focus on overweight people. They can easily get started themselves, possibly with the guidance of a dietician. In obese people, the matter is more complex and doctors, exercise experts and psychologists must also be called in.
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