Yet Another Reason To Fight America’s Obesity Epidemic

During a recent interview with CNN, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi opined that President Trump was “morbidly obese.”

She was responding to Trump’s decision to take hydroxychloroquine in an attempt to help prevent COVID-19.

"As far as the President is concerned, he's our President and I would rather he not be taking something that has not been approved by the scientists, especially in his age group and in his, shall we say, weight group -- morbidly obese, they say. So, I think it's not a good idea," Pelosi said on camera.

Is our President over 100 pounds more than his ideal weight?

There has been an ongoing discussion about the status of President Trump’s health and whether or not he falls into the category of “morbidly obese.”

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), anyone who is more than 100 pounds overweight is considered morbidly obese.

In my opinion, President Trump does not appear to be more than 100 pounds overweight. However, even just being overweight or obese (and not just morbidly obese) can still be very detrimental to your health.

Reportedly, four in 10 American adults are obese. And one in 10 are “severely” obese. Furthermore, obesity is estimated to affect one in five children and adolescents in the United States.

It’s evident that being obese is associated with such serious health issues like hypertension, diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), depression and even cancer. And now, a recent study provided evidence which states that a fat cell’s “immune response” may make obesity even worse.

A lot of this has to do with inflammation.

First, it’s important to have a basic understanding of inflammation.

Acute inflammation is a perfectly normal and healthy immune response. For example, when we burn our tongue on a hot cup of coffee or whack our knee against the stair banister, the pain and swelling we may feel is a result of inflammation.Luckily, this inflammation is usually short-lived and our bodies heal and then go back to normal. Acute inflammation actually helps the body fight off infections.

And then there is chronic inflammation.

Chronic inflammation, hence the name, is inflammation that lasts several months or even years. And you can have chronic inflammation and not feel any pain at all. It is essentially believed to be the root cause of many diseases Americans face, and obesity contributes to chronic inflammation throughout the body.

According to one report discussing the recent study, “When obesity occurs, a person's own fat cells can set off a complex inflammatory chain reaction that can further disrupt metabolism and weaken immune response—potentially placing people at higher risk of poor outcomes from a variety of diseases and infections, including COVID-19.”

Think of it this way: obesity (having excessive amounts of fat on your body) essentially triggers an inflammatory reaction that is caused by the stress obesity puts on the body. Added stress means decreased ability to fight off infections.

This is why I recently wrote about the Coronavirus wake-up call that so many Americans need.

The good news is that we can fight obesity if we are proactive. And we can be proactive by:

Taking these proactive steps also helps combat chronic inflammation. And, don’t forget, smoking and drinking excessively is also a sure way to contribute to inflammation throughout the body and make your body less able to fight off infections and disease.

Enjoy your healthy life!

The pH professional health care team includes recognized experts from a variety of health care and related disciplines, including physicians, attorneys, nutritionists, nurses and certified fitness instructors. This team also includes the members of the pH Medical Advisory Board, which constantly monitors all pH programs, products and services. To learn more about the pH Medical Advisory Board, click here.