Obese people may be less responsive to the Pfizer vaccine

Pfizer’s vaccine against the coronavirus may be less effective in obese people. According to studies carried out in Italy, overweight people after receiving two doses produced only half of the antibodies compared to thin people. Obese people are also at greater risk of developing severe complications from contracting COVID-19.

1. Obese people produce twice as much antibodies as people with normal weight works, according to a study of 248 members of Italian medical staff. There were 26 obese people in the study group
2. The authors of the study make a reservation that it has not yet been reviewed, and the studied sample is small. However, this is not the first report on the relationship of importance to vaccine efficacy
3. The number of produced antibodies is not related to the vaccine itself, but most likely to the metabolism of overweight people, says the virologist
4. You can find more up-to-date information on the TvoiLokony home page

Obesity and the COVID-19 Vaccine

Obese people respond less to the Pfizer vaccine. This is the result of the research carried out at the Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri in Rome.

The researchers examined the blood of 248 health care workers who received two doses of this preparation. One week after the second dose, the antibody levels were checked. In people of normal weight their concentration was 325,8, in obese people – on average 167,1, which is twice less.

We talk about obesity when the BMI exceeds 30.

It is too early to draw specific conclusions, because the sample of overweight people was too small – 26 people. Preliminary studies on medRxiv (the website with unpublished medical research results) have been published so far, but their methodology and results have not yet been reviewed.

1. COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective in people with obesity or diabetes

However, according to Italian scientists, overweight people may need an additional dose of the vaccine or an increase in the base dose.

– It is not a question of the vaccine, but rather the response of obese people. It is not entirely clear why this is happening, but it may be related to disturbed metabolism in these people, which affects many functions, including those related to immunity, said Prof. Ian Jones, virologist at the University of Reading, interviewed MailOnline.

Obesity reduces the immune response – why?

This is the first study to find a link between a person’s weight and the body’s response to the vaccine. Previously, it was investigated how obese people behave after receiving the flu vaccine, and the conclusions were similar. The vaccine was less effective in them.

– Not all vaccines work properly in obese people. This raises suspicions that the COVID-19 vaccine may also not provide adequate protection, said Dr. Donna Ryan, who studied obesity at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, a few months ago.

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Carrying extra pounds may impair the function of the immune system, experts say. Obesity can also cause chronic inflammation throughout the body, which contributes to an increased risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease. As a result, people with a higher BMI also have higher levels of immune-regulating proteins, including cytokines.

– The immune response triggered by cytokines can, in some cases, damage COVID-19 damage to healthy tissue – said Milena Sokołowska from the University of Zurich.

Scientists also suspect that diabetes, which often goes hand in hand with being overweight, may also make the immune system less responsive to the vaccine.

– Diabetes is a risk factor because it is associated with a weakening of the immune system, so it can affect the effectiveness of the vaccine – said Dr. rapid tests for COVID-19.

Overweight and obesity are a risk factor for serious complications from COVID-19

From the beginning of the pandemic, doctors emphasized that people who are significantly overweight are more likely to contract COVID-19 as well as more severe complications and death as a result of the coronavirus.

In March last year, specialists from Great Britain analyzed 194 cases of patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus who were hospitalized in intensive care units. The data showed that 63 percent. patients in the ICU due to COVID-19 are overweight, obese or morbidly obese.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina in the fall analyzed 75 studies from around the world, covering almost 400 people. cases. It turned out that obese patients who contracted COVID-19 were twice as likely to be hospitalized, and the probability of going to an intensive care unit increased by 74% in their case.. In addition, they were also more likely to die.

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Both British and American doctors have suggested that obese people should be vaccinated first. Also in Poland, obesity was originally included in the list of 17 chronic diseases that allowed for early vaccination (in stage II, not III) under the National Immunization Program. However, after the January change of plan, obesity, like incl. diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease have dropped out of this list.

Currently, as much as 20 percent. people around the world struggling with overweight or obesity. In Great Britain and the USA, they account for nearly 66 percent. society

In Poland, according to data collected during the National Health Test of Poles 2020, 61 percent. people living on the Vistula have a problem with excessive body weight (74% of men and 50% of women). 46 percent men and 29 percent. women are overweight, and 28 percent. men and 21 women are obese.

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1. Where can I get vaccinated against COVID-19? List of vaccination points
2. What determines the effectiveness of vaccinations
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