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9 in 10 are considered over-fat
There are several ways to measure body composition.
- BMI, a measurement of height and weight.
- Body Adiposity Index, a measurement of waist size and height.
- Waist Circumference Measurement, a good indication of the amount of abdominal fat you are carrying
- Waist-to-hip ratio
- Hydrostatic weighing, your body in a tank of water
- Body Fat Measuring, using calipers to pinch the skin.
Using any or all these calculations, we can determine that even if you’re “normal” weight, you can carry excess body fat. The higher your body fat percentage, the more likely you are to contract not just metabolic diseases, but other diseases as well.
Your immune system is distracted
Our immune systems were created to protect and defend our bodies from infections. When our body senses potential threats, it sends extra blood filled with white blood cells to repair the damaged cells. Remember when you injured yourself and it got red and hot?
In most people who are obese, the fat cells are seen by the body as damaged. The immune system kicks into gear to fix those cells which creates low-grade inflammation throughout the body. Low-grade inflammation is what increases our susceptibility to disease.
Remember when you last were ill and you had no energy, possibly no appetite and couldn’t really think well?
When you have a bad cold or the flu, your body shuts down everything it can to devote all its energy to your immune system. It goes into “sick mode”. If you are overweight and your body sees those fat cells as invaders it must destroy, you are functioning in sick mode all the time.
Your body is distracted by fighting the fat cells, which opens it up to being attacked by other diseases.
When you are overweight for an extended time, your body is at war all the time. You feel tired. Your appetite isn’t consistent. You feel foggy and unmotivated.
After fighting for so long, your immune system becomes desensitized to signals your body sends.
In 2009 researchers began to realize how much obesity is a factor for increased risk of contracting infections. After fighting chronic metabolic diseases, your body is at an increased risk for infection not only because the system is distracted, but also because your immune system is getting worn out!
Chronic inflammation shortens the life span of cells in your body. Without getting too deep into the science, the bottom line is over time your immune system ages much faster than it should.
Being obese at age of 21 ages your immune system so much that it’s the equivalent of an immune system of a normal weight 55-year-old.
The age of COVID
Obese people stay contagious and infected longer than normal-weight people.
Two researchers from the Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization, and Healthcare in Milan, Italy, evaluated possible interactions between obesity and COVID-19 based on how viruses like influenza affect obese people, and published their evaluation in the National Institute of Health’s Nature Public Health Emergency Collection on April 5, 2020.
They concluded that obese people are potentially more contagious than lean COVID-19 patients. And the immune response in obese people has proven to take longer which allows viruses to replicate more rapidly in the body.
In another recent study on mice, overweight mice died 3-5 times faster than normal-weight mice, after being exposed to viruses repeatedly. They found that the immune system in obese mice couldn’t contain the virus.
The obese body is the perfect place for a virus to grow and spread.
The best way to help your body to not contract these diseases in the first place is to give it all the resources it needs to build up a strong army of cells to defend itself.
Here are a few ways to help your immune system rebuild its army:
Reducing inflammation is the first step. Once your body is not under attack 24/7 it’ll be able to recognize and fight real invaders.
How to reduce low-grade inflammation:
- Eat a diet full of Omega 3s -The recommended foods are typical of a Mediterranean diet and include eating more fish, fresh fruits and vegetables, and healthy fats; eating moderate amounts of nuts; eating very little red meat, and drinking red wine in moderation.
- Exercise regularly – Movement activates the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system helps to increase heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. Exercise can also lead to fat loss which removes the threat of inflammation.
- Cut out inflammatory foods – Dairy, processed grains, sugar, and other foods can lead to an inflammatory response.
Your body is under attack and it’s up to you to save it. Excess body fat is about so much more than just being plus-sized or not feeling good in a bikini. Your body can’t handle the load you’re giving it and it’s going to give out on you sooner than later.
It’s time to take back control over your immune system and give your body a fighting chance.
