Pfizer Covid vaccine may also not work if you are obese: Obese people make HALF as many antibodies after receiving two doses, claims review
- An Italian study reported that jabs are 50 percent as effective in those who are obese
- But experts said that was ‘suspiciously high’ and could be linked to a small sample
- Other research has suggested that the flu vaccine is half as effective in obese people
Pfizer coronavirus vaccine may be less effective in obese people, scientists have warned.
Health care workers who were overweight only generated half of the antibodies to go off Covid after receiving two doses of the injection, compared to healthy people.
Italian researchers said obese people may need other vaccines, or higher doses, to protect them from the disease.
The above results show the antibody levels in people with different weights after receiving the second dose. They reveal that there was no significant difference between them, suggesting that more tests are needed. Exceptional results showed that the jobs were half as effective in obese people
Scientists have said that obesity is known to make jabs less effective because it can stop cells from functioning normally.
People who are already overweight are thought to be at greater risk of becoming ill or dying if they become infected.
Scientists say this may be because they are more likely to have other conditions – such as diabetes and high blood pressure – that make them more vulnerable.
Experts today said obesity – defined as a BMI above 30 – was also known to hinder the effectiveness of jabs.
A previous study has suggested that the flu vaccine, which is dispensed each winter, may be half as effective in obese people.
But it is believed that the Italian study, which has not yet been studied by colleagues, is the first time the same link has been found for Covid.
Carrying extra weight can cause the immune system to slow down, adversely affecting its function, according to experts.
By comparison, in healthy people it only stimulates inflammation when it fights infection.
Nearly a third of adults in England and nearly 40 percent in the U.S. are classified as obese, according to estimates.
They also examined the antibody responses by age, but found no differences in concentrations (error bars have been shown to coincide). This suggests that jabs stimulate such effective immune responses in people over 70 among younger age groups
In the study, 248 participants received two doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the Rome-based Istituti Fisioterapici Ospitalieri.
Scientists analyzed their blood for levels of antibodies seven days after the second dose was given.
Antibodies are virus-fighting proteins that stop Covid’s disease. They are a key part of the immune system – but not the only part.
Results showed that while those at normal weight had a high density (325.8), those who were obese, on average, had half this rate (167.1).
But the study included only 26 obese people, who are considered too small to make hard decisions.
And there was no significant difference in results between those who were obese and normal weight, necessitating more tests.
They also considered vaccine responses by age – but found no significant difference between the different groups.
Professor Ian Jones, an expert at Reading University, told MailOnline that he thought the figures looked ‘suspiciously high’.
‘Maybe it’s the small numbers (of participants),’ he said. ‘But that’s not surprising.
‘It wasn’t going to be tied to the vaccine, they’d all be like. The response is the individual at risk. ‘
He said it was a ‘common finding’ that jabs are not as effective in obese people.
‘It is not entirely clear why but it may be related to metabolic syndrome which in turn affects many cell functions, including immunity,’ he said.
Metabolic syndrome is the medical term for a number of conditions, including high blood pressure, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.