People with obesity are 70% more likely to be hospitalised or die from infections, a new study shows. The research found that nearly 1 in 10 infection-related deaths worldwide is linked to obesity. The study covered more than 500,000 people and looked at diseases like flu, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary infections, and Covid-19. Researchers estimate obesity may be involved in up to 600,000 of the 5.4 million yearly deaths from infections. Dr Solja Nyberg from the University of Helsinki said, "As obesity rates are expected to rise globally, so will the number of deaths and hospitalisations from infectious diseases linked to obesity." She urged policies that promote healthy eating and exercise to reduce risks and stressed the need for vaccines, especially for people with obesity. The study analysed data from 67,000 adults in Finland and 470,000 in the UK. Participants' body mass index (BMI) was tracked over 13 to 14 years. People with a BMI of 30 or higher had a 70% higher risk of severe infection outcomes compared to those with a healthy BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. Risk increased with higher body weight. Prof Mika Kivimäki of UCL said, "It is plausible that obesity weakens the immune system's ability to defend against infectious bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi." He added that weight-loss drugs like GLP-1 could lower infection risks. The chance of infection deaths linked to obesity varied by country: about 1 in 6 in the UK, 1 in 4 in the US, and as low as 1.2% in Vietnam. The study, published in The Lancet, noted its limits due to observational data that cannot prove causation. Dr Sara Ahmadi-Abhari from Imperial College London cautioned, "Estimates of the global impact give a sense of how large the problem may be, but they should be interpreted with caution."