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Reduce Risk of COVID-19 by Maintaining Healthy Weight

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Category: Region NCR

Reduce risk of COVID-19 by maintaining healthy weightThe World Health Organization has pointed out that obesity increases the risk of severe COVID-19 infection by 7-fold. Based on the article published by The New York Times, there are several reasons why obesity and the coronavirus are a dangerous combination. One is that an obese individual may suffer from difficulty of breathing making it more difficult to clear their pneumonia and other respiratory infections. The fat in their body is a source of pro-inflammatory chemicals that promotes chronic inflammation in the body even before they get the COVID-19. Obesity is also the cause of changes and abnormalities in their metabolism. A recent study in the United States found out that 77% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients were overweight or obese.

Losing or maintaining weight are the most effective response of people with this disease. A BMI of 25.0-29.9 is classified as overweight and a BMI of more than 30 is classified as obese. If your weight falls into these categories, weight loss is necessary. A normal BMI of 18.5 – 24.9 represents a healthy target for overweight people to achieve and people with normal weight to maintain. Below are some recommended actions for maintaining healthy weight during this pandemic. 

Eat a balanced diet. Losing weight or maintaining weight does not mean restrictive eating. A healthy body requires the intake of the three food groups – Go, Grow, and Glow. The Pinggang Pinoy serves as an easy-to-understand guide that conveys right food group proportions on a per-meal basis to meet energy and nutrient needs of Filipino adults.

Choose nutrient-dense foods over calorie-dense. Vegetables, fruits, legumes, and lean meat are examples of nutrient-dense or foods that are high in nutrients but relatively low in calories. More nutrients also equate to stronger immune system. Calorie-dense, however, are foods high in fat and sugar that contains inadequate nutrients.

Drink water. By simply replacing drinks high in sugar with water, you can prevent drastic weight gain. Water helps increase fullness, reduces hunger, and consequently reduce energy intake. Drinking water also fills the stomach in between meals and satisfies thirst without adding calories.

Move your body. Staying at home is an effective measure to reduce COVID-19 transmission. But this has made the lifestyle of many people sedentary. Weight loss depends on spending more energy than you take in. The Philippine National Guidelines on Physical Activity (PNGPA) of the Department of Health (DOH) recommends 30 to 60 mins of physical activity for Filipino adults aged 21-49 years old. For an active life, limit sedentary activities, engage in strength and flexibility activities, enjoy leisure activities often, engage in vigorous activities regularly, and be as active as possible every day.

To lessen the risk of infection, observe personal protective measures. Stay at home. Always wear your mask when going outside. Wash your hands for at least 20 seconds. Maintain 1-meter distance from anyone from outside. Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

Let us prevent both COVID-19 and obesity from taking over our life. Maintain healthy weight to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. (DKFV/NPC MEVF/NNC-NCR)

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