(NaturalNews) The fact that nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults are clinically obese is worrisome for a whole new reason: Evidence emerging from a hospital in Michigan (and published by the CDC) appears to indicate that obese patients may be very easily killed by swine flu.
In the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's report on death and disease, researchers documented the case of ten swine flu patients at a Michigan hospital who became so ill they were put on ventilators. Three of the patients ultimately died from the infection. The kicker?
Nine of the ten were obese, and two of the three who died were severely obese.
As reported by Reuters, CDC virologist Dr. Tim Uyeki said, "What this suggests is that there can be severe complications associated with this virus infection, especially in severely obese patients."
Notably, five of the patients showed evidence of blood clots in their lungs, indicating severe cellular trauma in the lungs. Nine of the patients suffered from multiple organ failure, and six experienced kidney failure.
What it means for the U.S. population
These findings are especially worrisome because nearly
two-thirds of U.S. adults are now clinically obese. Combined with widespread vitamin D deficiency, nutritional deficiencies and pharmaceutically-induced immune suppression,
the U.S. population is more vulnerable to a pandemic right now than any other population in the history of the world.The American people, in other words, are primed for a
pandemic. Virtually no one in America is both physically fit and nutritionally healthy anymore. Shockingly, most Americans don't even recognize physical fitness anymore, thinking that excess body fat is normal and that
obese babies are just "chubby." Should the circulating swine flu combine with seasonal flu this fall, it could devastate the immunologically vulnerable U.S. population, potentially killing millions.
There's no mystery here
The number of patients reviewed in this study is quite small (only ten), but even so, this could be a warning sign of more deaths to come from infected, obese patients. Of course, there's really no mystery why
obesity may cause extreme vulnerability to swine flu infections: The virus kills through an inflammatory process, and obesity is, itself, a highly-inflammatory condition that only exacerbates the deadliness of the H1N1 virus.
Patients who have made themselves obese -- for whatever reason -- have also unleashed a storm of inflammatory cytokines in their blood, and these cytokines are precisely what get over-excited during the body's response to a swine
flu infection, leading to organ damage and death. This is precisely why people wishing to survive the coming pandemic must make a special effort to attain a high level of physical and nutritional health before such a pandemic arrives.
Being obese compromises your body's immune system, liver, heart, lungs and kidneys. This puts a serious additional burden on your body, leaving few spare resources for fighting off infections. That's probably why nine out of ten
swine flu victims documented in the Michigan hospital were obese.
The bottom line in this study is quite clear:
Don't be obese during the next pandemic. If you are obese now, let this bit of knowledge provide whatever extra motivation you need to drop some excess body fat and reduce the inflammatory burden on your body's organs. Obesity is, after all, readily reversed through simple changes in diet and exercise habits.
Make no mistake: There will be another deadly pandemic that sweeps through our population. No one knows whether H1N1 swine flu is the next "big" pandemic, but if it is, there will be a very clear pattern among those who are killed by it: People with poor health; who are poisoned by pharmaceuticals and chemical additives; who are obese, vitamin D deficient and who live on processed foods.
Don't be one of those people. Stay healthy, fit and well-nourished. Eat superfoods and living foods. Exercise at least three hours a week. Keep your body weight in check and you'll have a huge health advantage in not just the next pandemic, but also for your own longevity and wellbeing.
Stay healthy and you'll stay alive, through both good times and bad.
Sources:Reuters:
http://www.reuters.com/article/middleeastCrisis/idUSN10537105
About the author: Mike Adams is a natural health researcher, author and award-winning journalist with a passion for teaching people how to improve their health He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has authored and published several downloadable personal preparedness courses including a downloadable course focused on safety and self defense. Adams is an honest, independent journalist and accepts no money or commissions on the third-party products he writes about or the companies he promotes. In 2010, Adams co-founded NaturalNews.com, a natural health video sharing site that has now grown in popularity. He's also a noted technology pioneer and founded a software company in 1993 that developed the HTML email newsletter software currently powering the NaturalNews subscriptions. Adams is currently the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. He's also author a large number of health books offered by Truth Publishing and is the creator of numerous reference website including NaturalPedia.com and the free downloadable Honest Food Guide. His websites also include the free reference sites HerbReference.com and HealingFoodReference.com. Adams believes in free speech, free access to nutritional supplements and the innate healing ability of the human body. Known by his callsign, the 'Health Ranger,' Adams posts his missions statements, health statistics and health photos at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Email this article to a friend
Now Available from 
