You are likely tired of my lectures about being fit, however, obesity continues to be a challenge for many Americans, and although we know the risks of being overweight, many people continue to struggle. Yes, weight management is difficult at best, and even when we run the risk of becoming diabetic, developing cardiovascular disease, damaging our weight bearing joints, etc. many can’t seem to maintain a healthy weight. 

If the risks we already know aren’t enough to encourage us to achieve and maintain a healthy weight, consider these findings from a study published in medRxiv. First, it is well known that obesity increases the risk of severe COVID-19 symptoms, and the effectiveness of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in people with obesity is unknown. So, these researchers decided to “research,” which is what they do! What they found was that obesity may accelerate waning of antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and increased breakthrough infections with COVID-19. 

I know we are burned-out; COVID-19 has done most of us in, so hearing this is even more depressing! The researchers concluded that additional or more frequent booster doses are likely to be required to maintain protection among people with obesity as they are at higher risk of hospitalization or death from COVID-19 after both a second and third booster dose of the vaccine. Yikes! Please consider these risks as you reach for the chips and remember, what you do today may impact what happens to you tomorrow! Stay the course, stay well, and stay informed!