Obesity linked to persistent brain and mental health symptoms in long Covid patients

Obesity or being overweight may be linked to brain-related symptoms of long Covid, according to new research that highlights a significant connection between excess weight and persistent neurological and mental health issues in individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.

Although the World Health Organisation declared an end to COVID-19 as a global health emergency in May 2023, long Covid — defined as symptoms that persist for more than 12 weeks after infection — remains a major area of investigation for diagnosis and treatment worldwide.

Researchers, including those from the University of Brasília in Brazil, analyzed data from nearly 140,000 individuals across 18 studies. Their findings revealed a strong correlation between being overweight and ongoing symptoms such as depression, headaches, memory loss, and sleep disturbances.

Published in the journal PLOS One, the study also found that obesity was significantly associated with persistent headaches, loss of smell and taste, and vertigo.

Excess weight has previously been recognized as a risk factor for developing long Covid, which can be debilitating and severely affect quality of life.

"We expected some association between excess weight and post-COVID-19 symptoms based on earlier evidence of obesity's role in poor COVID-19 outcomes," said study author Debora Barbosa Ronca, a visiting PhD scholar at Edith Cowan University in Australia.

Ronca noted the consistency of the findings across a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric symptoms — including memory problems, depression, sleep disorders, and sensory impairments — is particularly significant.

Although subgroup analysis by ethnicity wasn’t conducted, the inclusion of studies from 23 countries underscores the global relevance of the findings, she said.

The exact role of excess weight in long Covid is not yet fully understood. However, the researchers suggest it may be due to an exaggerated inflammatory response or shared genetic predispositions between obesity and COVID-19 outcomes.

This analysis focused specifically on the link between being overweight or obese and the presence of long-term neurological and mental health symptoms.

The study emphasises the severe physical and mental health burden faced by COVID-19 survivors who are overweight or obese. In the current post-pandemic landscape, the researchers advocate for more personalized and multidisciplinary care strategies to support these individuals.

"Our systematic review and meta-analysis show that excess weight is significantly associated with long Covid symptoms such as headaches, memory issues, numbness, sensory disorders, vertigo, depression, and sleep disturbances," the authors wrote.

“These symptoms can severely impact quality of life and may persist for months,” Ronca added.

The findings contribute to global efforts aimed at understanding the biological mechanisms behind long Covid, mapping its patterns in populations, and identifying those at the highest risk.

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