According to a study, having a high body mass index (BMI) rather than a high blood sugar level is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 infection and prolonged COVID. Findings by Dr Anika Knuppel from the MRC Unit for Lifelong Health and Aging, University College London, UK, and colleagues presented at this year’s European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting (19-23) in Stockholm, Sweden are going. September). “Research early in the pandemic identified diabetes and obesity as risk factors for becoming seriously ill with COVID-19. And we know that many people with type 2 diabetes are also gaining more weight. Our initial findings are based on this. support the idea that obesity-related mechanisms may account for the additional risks of COVID-19 associated with diabetes, rather than high blood sugar,” says Dr. Previous research has shown that people with diabetes and obesity are more likely to become seriously ill and die if they catch COVID-19, but they are not more likely to contract it. However, the underlying mechanisms and their role in prolonged COVID-19 symptoms (prolonged COVID) are unclear. To learn more, the researchers looked for associations between a range of clinical characteristics measured before the pandemic – HbA1c (average blood sugar level), self-reported or medication-based diabetes, body mass index. (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR)- and self-reported COVID-19 infection and prolonged COVID in nine ongoing cohort studies in the UK. The analysis included the most recent measurement of HbA1c (taken between 2002 and 2019), weight, height, waist and hip circumferences from each study, as well as information from questionnaires on health and lifestyle.