High BMI in adolescents linked to risk of severe COVID: Study

Men with a high body mass index (BMI) during upper adolescence have a higher rate of developing severe Covid-19 and may need hospitalization later in life, according to a recent study. 

Conducted by researchers of the University of Gothenburg, the study was published in the journal, ‘Obesity’.

It consisted of data from the Swedish Military Service Conscription Register in Sweden of 1,551,670 men born between 1950 and 1987. 

The study integrated the data with the National Patient Register, the Intensive Care Register and the Cause of Death Register. 

Findings of the study revealed that high BMI in upper teens can be linked to a higher risk of getting infected with Covid-19 and requiring hospitalization.

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“At the population level, we can see that being overweight in the late teens raises the risk of hospitalization and intensive care for Covid-19. For those with teenage obesity, the risk of admission to an intensive care unit is more than twice as high as for those with a BMI of 18.5-20,” said Josefina Robertson, the first author of the study. 

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Maria Aberg, the last author of the study added, “Several studies have identified overweight as a risk factor for becoming severely ill with Covid-19, and we’re now showing that overweight and obesity even in early life plays a part.”

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“It’s interesting to see that the men’s BMI in adolescence is a risk factor for severe Covid-19 many years later. A high BMI in the men’s teens also persisted into middle age, which is a trend that other studies have shown as well. That’s why it’s important to take preventive measures against obesity even at a young age, especially ahead of future viral pandemics,” Robertson concluded.