Mexicans Are At Higher Risk For COVID-19
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Mexicans are at two percent higher risk for COVID-19 that anyone else across the world, according to a recent article out of Mexico.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says there is approximately five percent chance that people can get infected with COVID-19 and develop serious illness but this rate could increase to 7 percent in Mexico due to the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the country.

Meanwhile, the World Obesity Federation cited obesity-related conditions as one of the factors that worsen the effects of COVID-19, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that people with heart disease and diabetes are at higher risk of COVID-19 complications.

In Mexico, almost 75 percent of the population are either overweight or obese, making it in the list as one of the most obese countries in the world. In 2013, Mexico ranked the most obese country in the world in adult obesity, surpassing United States as the most obese country in the world, and first for childhood obesity with about 4.5 million children diagnosed as such.

Obesity alone contribute health-related conditions that claim approximately 230,000 lives in the country each year. Being one of the most obese countries in the world, Mexico is expected to see a higher rate of people with severe symptoms of COVID-19 leading to hospitalization and a lower average age of deaths.

An obese person's body experiences chronic, low-intensity inflammation, meaning the body will have to fight on two fronts. Obesity also contributes to cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, hypertension and diabetes, which are all high-risk factors for COVID-19 patients.

Aside from obesity, Latin Americans are genetically more prone to diabetes and prevalence in Mexico has reached 15 percent of the population. The World Diabetes Federation says that people with diabetes who are infected with the COVID-19 may see their glycemic control deteriorate.

An article attributes the problem to the introduction of processed food into the Mexican food market in the 1980s. Since the 1990s, fat has become the principal source of energy in the Mexican diet and it is assumed that the consumption of highly processed food would continue increasing until present.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that Latinos are the most physically inactive adults in the United States.

To date 60 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Mexico were diabetics. A forecast by WHO says that half of the seriously ill could die, which indicates that the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic could have disproportionate consequences in Mexico.

On Saturday, March 28, Mexico's official stance on how to address the COVID-19 challenge has changed as Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell called on citizens to stay at home until April 19.

After reporting 848 confirmed cases and 16 deaths, López-Gatell said that Mexico is going through a phase in which infections are accelerating and that if everyone follows the protocol is it possible to prevent the number of new cases.