Does obesity increase risk of severe Covid-19 risk?

Evidence emerging around the world suggests that people who are overweight or obese are at increased risk of getting more severely ill with Covid-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV2 coronavirus.Scientists are still learning about which specific mechanisms might explain this link, Here are some likely factors.

Excess fat can also affect the respiratory system. In other words, it can make someone breathless and less able to get oxygen into the blood and around the body. It is also likely to have an effect on inflammatory and immune functions. Representative image: iStock Photo

Fatty tissue - also known as adipose tissue - has high levels of an enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE2, which is used by the new coronavirus to enter cells. Credit: Getty Images

People with higher levels of ACE2 in their blood and other tissues are likely to be more susceptible to Covid-19 infection. Credit: iStock Photo

Francesco Rubino, an expert on obesity and chair of metabolic and bariatric surgery at King's College London, calls the Covid-obesity link a