Obesity is linked to 1 in 10 deaths from infection worldwide — and scientists are still learning why

A close up of the right side of a tan person lying in a moving hospital bed, with a blue blood monitor clamped on their right index finger. Their body is covered by white sheets on a blue mattress. .

People with obesity are 70% more likely than those without the condition to be hospitalized with or die from severe infections, according to a new study of over half a million people.

The research found that 1 in 10 deaths attributed to infections worldwide were in people with obesity. This link persisted even in people with obesity who did not have metabolic syndrome or diabetes. And it showed up regardless of socioeconomic status or physical activity levels, researchers reported Feb. 9 in the journal The Lancet.