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There's no mystery here
The number of patients reviewed in this study is quite small (only ten), but even so, this could be a warning sign of more deaths to come from infected, obese patients. Of course, there's really no mystery why obesity may cause extreme vulnerability to swine flu infections: The virus kills through an inflammatory process, and obesity is, itself, a highly-inflammatory condition that only exacerbates the deadliness of the H1N1 virus.
Patients who have made themselves obese -- for whatever reason -- have also unleashed a storm of inflammatory cytokines in their blood, and these cytokines are precisely what get over-excited during the body's response to a swine flu infection, leading to organ damage and death. This is precisely why people wishing to survive the coming pandemic must make a special effort to attain a high level of physical and nutritional health before such a pandemic arrives.
Being obese compromises your body's immune system, liver, heart, lungs and kidneys. This puts a serious additional burden on your body, leaving few spare resources for fighting off infections. That's probably why nine out of ten swine flu victims documented in the Michigan hospital were obese.
The bottom line in this study is quite clear: Don't be obese during the next pandemic. If you are obese now, let this bit of knowledge provide whatever extra motivation you need to drop some excess body fat and reduce the inflammatory burden on your body's organs. Obesity is, after all, readily reversed through simple changes in diet and exercise habits.
Originally posted by xelamental
This will be the first of many viruses that adapt to attacking the obese. Now that they are in sufficient numbers, there is enough chance for deadly viruses targeting this "new species" to survive. Whereas throughout history, it's been impossible as the numbers of fat people have been too low.
I say it's a good incentive to get off your ass and go running every day
Originally posted by antar
Now my question is this, should us fatties start loosing weight now which sometimes temporarily lowers the bodies defences as it is busy kicking out not only fats and proteins but toxins that have attached themselves to the fat.
Originally posted by antar
Have you ever seen a sick child and how fast they can go into skin and bones if they do not have ample fat on their body? It happens fast.
Originally posted by antar
hell I bet half of the ppl on here that brag of how healthy and slim they are bald face liars!
Originally posted by antar
Now thats not important but what is , is for loving parents like ourselves to start or keep pumping our chubby little ones with all we can to keep them in defensive mode for this manmade killer!
Originally posted by antar
Id love to but am disabled in the knees. I would love to. Cant.