Results from a new research say that being overweighed may affect the flu shots and make them less effective, this is according to a published study in October 2011 which provides evidence that explain a noticed phenomenon in 2009 about H1N1 flu, this phenomenon is that the fat people have some type of immunity to flu drugs and vaccinations, so they don’t usually respond to them. 

so according to this study obese people are un more risk to have flu disease when they are exposed to the virus more than normal weigh people, stated a doctor in the team conducting the study, although this study seems to be more precise in results from the old studies which stated that obesity may affect the ability of the body to fight the influenza disease, so this new study tend to give us reasons why the fat people were in more risk to have flu disease within the time of H1N1 disease invading the country more than people who have normal weight levels.

The study said that the reason why flu vaccination have less efficiency in obese people is the antibody rates in influenza vaccine decreases notably in these people when compared to regular weight people, also the response of CD8+ T cells decreases in obese overweigh people.( CD8+ T cells are a kind of white blood cells which work in the immunity system of the body).

According to a research conducted in UNC clinic, people were vaccinated with a flu vaccine which was common that season, the results were that obese and normal weight people produced antibodies to flu viruses in the first month after getting vaccinated, but these antibodies decreased in levels faster in overweigh and obese people through time, in addition, these participant’s blood samples were exposed to a flu virus after they took the vaccine in about 11 months and the results were:

• Almost 75per cent of normal weight people CD8+ T cells still expressed interferon-γ, an infection-fighting protein.
• When only 25per cent of the overweigh participants ‘ cells responded by producing the protein.

A doctor in the research team said that in case the antibody titers doesn’t stay for long time in the case of obese and overweight people and also the memory CD+ T cell function is impaired, this will make these people facing more risks of becoming ill due to influenza.