People with obesity 70% more likely to be hospitalised by or die from infection, study finds

During the pandemic, people living with obesity had a higher risk of being hospitalised or dying from Covid-19. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

People living with obesity are 70% more likely to be hospitalised by or die from an infection, with one in 10 infection-related deaths globally linked to the condition, research suggests.

Being an unhealthy weight significantly increases the risk of severe illness and death from most infectious diseases, including flu, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections and Covid-19, according to a study of more than 500,000 people.