Althouse: "Fat cells produce large amounts of a protein used by the coronavirus to infiltrate human cells, researchers have warned..."

May 5, 2020

"Fat cells produce large amounts of a protein used by the coronavirus to infiltrate human cells, researchers have warned..."

"... pointing to a potential explanation for why obese people are more severely affected.... Fat cells in obese or diabetic patients produce higher amounts of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (Ace2) than those in other people. It is the protein that the coronavirus binds to in the bodies of infected people, they said.... [F]at might therefore 'serve as a viral reservoir.'"

The London Times reports on a study published in the journal Obesity.

26 comments:

rhhardin said...: I'd bet the ugly don't do well either.; 5/5/20, 7:31 PM
Spiros Pappas said...: I wonder if fat people living in heavily polluted areas are at greater risk of dying from Covid 19? Let's say Covid 19 causes tremendous weight loss. Adipose tissue acts as a storage area for lipophilic pollutants. So weight loss will cause the accumulated pollutants to be released into the bloodstream.; 5/5/20, 7:39 PM
Danno said...: The hypertension drugs that are ACE inhibitors decrease the production of ACE II, and I have read that people on these medications have lower susceptibility to Covid-19.; 5/5/20, 7:41 PM
Shouting Thomas said...: I watched a recent PBS documentary, “The Truth About Fat.”

It was quite fascinating. Fat is a component of our endocrine system, and has a complex signaling system that interacts with the brain.

This system gets screwed up by quite a few things, including processed foods, white flour, sugar, DNA, etc.

A lot to learn about the obesity epidemic from this documentary.; 5/5/20, 7:42 PM
stevew said...: I had read early on that the virus, like many, is essentially DNA with an outer protective layer of fat. Hand washing is effective because the soap breaks down the fat layer and allows for decomposition (or some such) of the interior DNA. This news is very interesting; the individual's fat composition favors or disfavors virus stability and effect?; 5/5/20, 7:50 PM
Big Mike said...: Is this for real? Or just more of the Democrat junk science that has permeated the coronavirus epidemic?; 5/5/20, 7:59 PM
Michael The Magnificent said...: Interestingly, both ACE inhibitors and Statins lower your chance of dying of COVID-19:

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2007621?query=C19&cid=DM91174_NEJM_Registered_Users_and_InActive&bid=190666505; 5/5/20, 8:11 PM
n.n said...: Fat is politically congruent. #NoLabels #NoJudgment; 5/5/20, 8:13 PM
Mark said...: The hypertension drugs that are ACE inhibitors decrease the production of ACE II, and I have read that people on these medications have lower susceptibility to Covid-19.

And I've read that they have HIGHER rates of bad result if infected.; 5/5/20, 8:18 PM
Derve Swanson said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 5/5/20, 8:26 PM
Derve Swanson said...: This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.; 5/5/20, 8:27 PM
Mark said...: About the ACE inhibitors to treat high blood pressure --

It could be that the supposed link between bad covid outcomes and hypertension is merely a case of correlation, not causation. Reports say that half of all Americans have high blood pressure. So it stands to reason that a lot of the covid deaths/severe cases are going to have high blood pressure.

It may be that, when treated and thus regularized to normal blood pressure, it is not really a factor at all.; 5/5/20, 8:37 PM
Fernandinande said...: I'd bet the ugly don't do well either.

Clint's latest: The Fat the Sick and the Ugly.; 5/5/20, 8:47 PM
William said...: I wonder if this will motivate any to diet and lose weight. It's said that when a man is to be hanged in the morning, it concentrates the mind wonderfully.; 5/5/20, 8:58 PM
Howard said...: Metabolic syndrome. Too much transfat, sugar, alcohol, animal protein and not enough fiber cause fatty liver disease, mitochondria overloaded, inflammation and oxidative stress.

It's like Covid-19 was specifically designed for targeting Americans who wallow in junk food.; 5/5/20, 9:03 PM
Howard said...: More normal BMI folks have metabolic syndrome than Obese people. However, the Obese have metabolic syndrome at a higher per capita rate.; 5/5/20, 9:06 PM
Michael K said...: Too much transfat, sugar, alcohol, animal protein and not enough fiber cause fatty liver disease, mitochondria overloaded, inflammation and oxidative stress.

Howard has endorsed the food pyramid that led to the epidemic of obesity and diabetes Type II. Congratulations Howard. You have taken us back to the 50s and done away with the keto diet.

Nice work, Howard.; 5/5/20, 9:31 PM
walter said...: Inga said...
There were quite a few bearded beer bellied older protestors there. Prime candidates for the ICU and a brand spanking newly bleached ventilator in about two weeks.
4/24/20, 5:29 PM; 5/5/20, 9:54 PM
walter said...: So..at least ditch the beards, ladies.; 5/5/20, 9:59 PM
Howard said...: Mike K has been a physician during the metabolic syndrome explosion. Nice Work, Doc. I bet you thought that you would miss out on doctor smoking endorsements, but were bailed by big sugar and big pharma. Diabetes can be cured by diet, but there's no money in that. No worries, doctors bury their mistakes.; 5/5/20, 10:02 PM
Char Char Binks, Esq. said...: I subscribe to Obesity for the articles, not the centerfold.; 5/5/20, 10:04 PM
Openidname said...: If you actually click on the Times article, there's a graphic that totally contradicts the article itself. It indicates that obese people (BMI between 30 and 40) actually have better outcomes than normal weight people. And that weight only seems to nudge the outcome slightly.

I'm totally confused.; 5/5/20, 10:46 PM
Yancey Ward said...: "I'm totally confused"

The writers of the article think that they aren't. Ponder on that.; 5/5/20, 10:51 PM
Jeff Brokaw said...: ST - thanks for the tip, I need to watch that, and I’m glad to hear that my attempts to avoid “processed foods, white flour, sugar“ etc are worth something, and based in science even if I don’t currently understand exactly why. :-); 5/6/20, 7:14 AM
daskol said...: That's why people, especially overweight people, should consider taking up vaping or dip, or even smoking in this age of the China Virus.; 5/6/20, 3:43 PM
daskol said...: Someone posted a youtube here of this doctor who went into the biochemistry behind COVID-19, convinced now that it is a disease of the epithelial cells. Looking more and more to be the case.; 5/6/20, 3:53 PM