If you are thinking of giving medical weight loss in Seattle a try, recent research gives one more reason why it is important to reach and maintain a healthy weight. People who are classified as obese are more likely to suffer from severe flu symptoms, even if they get the flu vaccine. This is because the level of antibodies to the flu that obese individuals develop after getting the flu shot decreases much faster than the level of antibodies in people of normal weight, making them more susceptible to getting the flu, although they still have more protection than obese people who do not get the flu shot at all.
Not only does obesity decrease the amount of time that the flu shot is effective, it also appears to make it harder for people to fight off the flu if they get it, making it more likely that obese individuals will get a more severe case of the flu, and that the flu infection will spread more quickly through their body. This is because people who are obese tend to have weaker immune systems than people who are of normal weight, as well as impaired white blood cells, which are needed for proper immune function.
Doctors are now recommending that obese individuals get more than one flu shot per flu season, getting the first shot near the beginning of flu season in the fall and another shot after the new year begins to give them stronger and longer lasting protection. Similar to other medications, the dosage of the flu shot given to obese individuals may need to be adjusted to take into account the extra weight they are carrying.