fast The way to keep at bay the virus
All the studies show being overweight increases your Covid risk. So here’s ...
AS WE have seen on the news, the Covid-19 virus is very selective about who it kills. Most people, particularly the young, shake it off. But others become extremely ill.
Two of the main risk factors are age and gender (neither of which you can do much about). But you can do something about central obesity — carrying too much fat around the gut — and today I will show you how.
If you’re ‘pear-shaped’, the excess fat on your bottom or hips seems to be relatively harmless. But if your body stores fat around your middle, it significantly heightens your risk of complications if you contract coronavirus, and it also makes you far more likely to have type 2 diabetes.
Men are more likely to store fat around their guts than women, which may help explain why we are twice as likely to end up in intensive care if we get Covid-19.
The more overweight you are, the lower your lung capacity. So, if Covid-19 attacks your lungs, then there is a greater risk that you will end up in intensive care.
People with excess body fat also tend to have a less efficient immune system. This means they not only get more infections, but that vaccines are less effective when they have them.
Fat, in and around your gut, is known as visceral fat, and is linked to a range of chronic diseases which can shorten your life at the best of times. But it is even more dangerous if you get Covid-19.
Another reason why you might want to shrink your waist is because visceral fat often goes hand in hand with raised blood sugar levels, and those with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes (where your blood sugars are raised but are not yet in the diabetic range) are much more prone to infection from viruses or bacteria. Having raised blood sugars also damages your blood vessels, which is why having diabetes raises your risk of heart disease, kidney disease and stroke. The Covid-19 virus exacerbates this problem because it also attacks your blood vessels and causes blood clotting, which can trigger heart attacks and strokes.
My interest in the dangerous impact of gut fat is a personal one. Back in 2012, a routine test revealed — to my complete shock — that I was in the early stages of type 2 diabetes.
I was only a little overweight, but like many middle-aged men, was carrying most of that excess fat around my waist. By losing 9kg, and 4in off my waist, I effectively reversed my diabetes.
This came as no surprise to Roy Taylor, professor of medicine and metabolism at Newcastle University and one of Europe’s leading diabetes experts. He told me that the reason I’d managed to get rid of my type 2 diabetes is because, by losing weight fast, I’d got rid of the fat clogging up my liver and pancreas.
Like other experts Professor Taylor agrees the most important way to protect yourself from getting Covid-19 is through regular hand washing and maintaining social distancing, but he is also clear that many of the major risk factors for severe Covid-19 infection, such as excess body fat, hypertension and raised blood sugar levels, can be improved by speedy weight loss.
‘This will result in rapid normalisation of your blood sugar levels and bring down your risk of Covid-19, within days or weeks,’ he says.
He is confident you won’t undermine your immune system in the meantime as long as you take in adequate amounts of protein, vitamins, minerals and other micronutrients.
The key is to stick to 800 calories a day — either every day for up to 12 weeks or for two days a week over a longer period. There is lots more information on how to do it easily and safely online at thefast800.com.
Rapid weight loss encourages your body to switch over to fat burning. It also reduces insulin levels, increases growth hormones and boosts levels of a hormone called BDNF in the brain, which helps improve your mood.
But do talk to your doctor before starting the diet if you are on any form of medication.