Why obese people tend to fall sick

Diet rich in vegetables can help
to prevent obesity and boost immunity The problems associated with obesity are many. Scientists are however relating some of them to the fact that they have lower immunity level, reports Sade Oguntola.

Our health is often the reflection of the state of our immune system.Can you live a healthy life with all the extra weight? When was the last time you came across an obese individual who was very healthy? It is no surprise the unhealthiness of being overweight or obese results from a compromised immune system.

Given all the infectious diseases caused by bacteria and viruses, being obese not only put the obese individuals in danger, but also people around them because it is most likely that they are carrying and spreading infectious agents.

The immune system, likened to an army of millions of microscopic soldiers patrolling the body, works to prevent illness by fighting any invading germs.

These “soldiers” are white blood cells, and how you “treat” and “feed” them have a large influence on how well they protect you from micro-organisms, infection, and disease.

In fact, many health recommendations, such as eating a varied and balanced diet and exercising regularly are all tailored towards living a healthy life, maintaining a good body weight and reducing your chances of having such diseases like diabetes, stroke, depression and cancers.

Experts have linked low immunity to many factors such as smoking, stress and obesity. A new study from Boston University researchers suggested that obese people develop a weakened immune response because their bodies find it harder to fight infections in comparison to those with normal weight.

An adult who is overweight has a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 to 29.9. An adult who is obese has a BMI of 30.0 or more. (To find your BMI, multiply your weight in pounds by 703. Divide that answer by your height in inches. Divide that answer by your height in inches, again. The resulting number is your BMI.).

In experiments with mice infected with the bacteria that cause gum disease, obese mice had less ability to battle gum infection than their normal-weight counterparts, according to the report in an online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

They found that compared with lean mice, the obese mice showed a 40 per cent greater increase in tooth decay and loss of bone 10 days after being infected. The researchers argue that since the obese mice also had more bacteria around their gums compared with lean mice, this was due to their inability to mount a proper immune attack on the bugs. This meant the bacteria could linger in the mouth and cause more damage.

Lead researcher, Dr. Salomon Amar, associate dean for research at the university’s School of Dental Medicine said for years, the reason why obese people had difficulty clearing an infection was not understood.

According to him, based on the study it is now clear that they had a weakened immune as a result of being obese, thus explaining the difficulty in clearing an infection and also the difficulty in wound healing.

In the study, Amar’s team tied silk threads infected with the bacteria around the molars of obese and normal-weight mice. They then compared the animals’ responses to infection, by measuring both the amount of bone loss and the growth of the bacteria around their teeth.

The researchers found that the obese mice had a compromised immune response to the bacteria, which made the animals more susceptible to the infection.

Amar’s group also looked at the animals’ white blood cells, which are the main line of defense against infection. The white cells of obese mice had lower levels of an important signaling molecule, and some of the genes that fight inflammation were altered, the researchers found.

Though it is unclear exactly what causes obesity to affect the immune response, but the researchers suggested that gaining weight might upset a mechanism in the body that reacts to foreign organisms

In the opinion of the researchers, obese people need to be treated differently to help them fight infections, adding, “We need to be more aggressive in the use of targeted antibiotics in infections among obese people. Also, we need to boost the immune response.”

Many expert in agreement with the finding sheds light on the connection between obesity and infection.”

Dr V. A Bello, the permanent secretary, Oyo state Ministry of health said the finding is understandable from the context that someone that is obese in most cases have a different metabolic rate and response to drug, including anesthesia. He said usually obese persons because of their lower metabolic rates even in cold weather hardly feels cold easily and by the time the cold penetrates the fatty layer of their skin, then it becomes a problem to get warm.”

The link between obesity and immunity, Prof. Taye Ijaduola, a consultant Ear, Nose, Throat surgeon at the University College Hospital(UCH), Ibadan, said should be expected because the body is one.

“Just as diabetes can lower your immunity against diseases so also obesity can have the same effect. Obesity itself is a disease that is due to imbalance of some hormones and so is similar in a way to diabetes, which is related to poor control of blood sugar level by the appropriate hormones responsible for this in the body,” Prof. Ijaduola stated..

How do you treat your immune system so that it will work well for you, though you are obese? By following basic healthy patterns! In fact, many health recommendations you may have heard, such as eating a varied and balanced diet and exercising regularly, all help control weight gain and boost immunity.

Also, studies have linked a number of foods and nutrients to the strengthening of the immune system. These include consumption of diets rich in such fruits as oranges, whole grains carrots yams, omega-3 fatty acids that is present in nuts and oily fishes, and garlic.

In addition to what you eat, certain lifestyle changes can boost your immune system, including:

•Regular hand washing to reduce the number of organisms that can enter your body.

•Thorough cooking of meat to kill dangerous bacteria and other micro-organisms.

•Getting at least eight hours of sleep every day — deep sleep stimulates and energizes the immune system.

•Exercises: This stimulates the immune system and helps with weight maintenance or reduction.

• Moderate alcohol intake.

• Eating less sugar: Sugar reduces the ability of white blood cells to kill germs by 40 per cent for up to five hours.

•Quitting smoking — Smoking leads to lung and other cancers, and also weakens the immune system.

•Reducing and managing stress.