Coronavirus and obesity: Doctors take aim at food industry over poor diets

https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2020/04/22/Coronavirus-and-obesity-Doctors-take-aim-at-food-industry-over-poor-diets

A cardiologist has blamed the food industry for ‘normalising’ ultra-processed junk food as more evidence emerges suggesting poor diet is the root cause behind increased mortality from Covid-19.

Obesity is the biggest risk factor for death from Covid-19 in under 50s, according to a new study from the US Centre for Disease Control based on 99 countries and 14 states from March.The research examined the underlying conditions of patients hospitalised with the virus to find out which risk factors among them obesity, heart disease, diabetes, chronic lung disease and high blood pressure – led to the most severe disease.It found that nearly 60% of patients aged 18-49 were obese. It was also the biggest risk factor in those aged 50-64, present in nearly half (49%) of patients in this age group. For those over 65, high blood pressure was the biggest risk factor, which was most prominent in over 70% of cases, with obesity an underlying condition in 41% of patients.