A major new analysis published inThe Lancethighlights a troubling link between obesity and infectious disease deaths. Tracking over 540,000 people across Finland and the UK, researchers found that individuals with obesity—defined as a BMI of 30 or higher—are 70% more likely to be hospitalized or die from infectious diseases compared to those with a healthy BMI. The risk for people with severe obesity was nearly three times higher.

The infections most affected by obesity included seasonal flu, COVID-19, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections, and lower respiratory tract infections, though outcomes for HIV and tuberculosis were not significantly impacted. Extrapolating these findings globally, obesity may have contributed to 0.6 million of the 5.4 million infectious disease deaths worldwide in 2023.

In India, researchers estimate that approximately 46,100 infectious disease deaths—3.8% of all such deaths—are linked to obesity. With nearly 29% of Indians living with generalised obesity and 40% with abdominal obesity, this presents a major public health challenge.

Lead author Dr. Solja Nyberg emphasizes that as obesity rates rise, so will hospitalizations and deaths from infections. This study underscores the urgent need for public health strategies addressing obesity to reduce preventable infectious disease mortality.