ISLAMABAD, August 14 (Online): Experts say obesity, as well as other factors such as diabetes and older age, can inhibit a vaccine’s ability to produce effective antibodies against a virus. Several promising COVID-19 vaccines have moved into the final stages of clinical trials in order to be approved for use by the general public. But even when we have a safe vaccine in hand, some experts have raised concerns that the United States’ high obesity rate — as well as other factors — might influence how effective those vaccines are in producing immunity to the novel coronavirus. “A vaccine is typically utilized to raise neutralizing antibody levels in the body so that an individual can be protected,” said Chris Xu, PhD, chief executive officer of biotech company ThermoGenesis, which has developed rapid COVID-19 antibody tests and studied the disease in detail. “Researchers believe that due to increased production of leptin (which correlates with body fat mass) and fat, the obese population has a more difficult time gaining vaccine-induced antibody protection,” Xu told Healthline. More than 40 percentTrusted Source of adults, as well as 18 percentTrusted Source of children in the United States, have obesity, according to the Centers for Disease … Continue reading How Obesity and Other Conditions Could Hinder the Effectiveness of a COVID-19 Vaccine