Are you in 1 of the 4 main groups more at risk from contracting the virus?

There are many factors which need to be considered in relation to those more at risk from contracting the virus and having a severe reaction. 

The highest proportion of people which have unfortunately been affected by the virus have had a weakened immune system. This can be for a variety of reasons such as old age and underlying health issues, as well as there being a strong genetic component - which we will come onto in a second.

The data shows that there are 4 groups which will be more at risk: 

·      The elderly.

·      Males.

·      Ethnic minorities with darker skin tone.

·      And those who are obese, or clinically obese on the BMI index.

Age

I think most of us realise that as we age most of our biological processes will start to slow down, with one of these being our immune system.

One of the genes which has been identified is in relation to the virus is called ACE2 (Angio-tensin Converting Enzyme 2), which is located in your lungs.  ACE2 is part of a larger family of genes which helps to regulate a hormone system called the “Renin Angio-tensin system”. It is activated when there is a loss of blood volume or a drop-in blood pressure causing the kidneys to secrete renin. 

There are various genes involved in this system, such AGT, ACE, ACE2 and AGTR1. All of which need to be working in synergy for your blood pressure, body fluid and electrolytes to function correctly.

For instance, if we get higher ACE levels alongside lower ACE2 this will increase you blood pressure, possibly leading to serious lung issues (as seen with Covid). The virus attaches to ACE2 receptors shutting them down and throwing the hormone system out of balance completely.

Another interesting point is that we also lose ACE2 receptors as we age. So, this could also be another reason as to why the elderly are more at risk, as they have a weakened immune system and less ACE2 receptors.

Inflammation

The next area is inflammation; when you pick up a cold or flu your body will increase your inflammatory response to help fight it off.

Inflammation is our immune system's response to dealing with anything it perceives as an “attack” from a foreign invader. Ideally, when you get sick or injured, you want a fast and strong inflammatory response. This will ensure you deal with an infection or injury with a response that will be short and sharp or “acute”, resulting in no harm being done and it eventually settling down. 

For example, if you twist your ankle, the body will produce a variety of symptoms including pain, heat and swelling. This response will ensure you don't walk on the ankle, as doing so could cause even more damage. 

Inflammation is therefore tightly regulated by the body. However, certain genetic traits are linked to inflammatory response and as a result, people will respond differently to physical stressors such as intense exercise, hard physical labour, illness and injury.

Now, you may have heard over the last couple of weeks the media referring to something called a Cytokine storm. This basically means your inflammatory response is out of control, and everything internally is going a little bit haywire. Again, there will be a variety or family of the genes responsible for this, one of which is called Interleukin 6 or IL-6.

IL-6 is a pro-inflammatory cytokine which, under normal conditions, is expressed in low levels. Unfortunately, this will become more pronounced with possibly serious health ramifications if the body is experiencing stress, injury or during an infection from bacteria or a virus.  

Various pharmaceutical companies are now looking at IL-6 inhibitors as possible therapy for Covid, as IL-6 under normal circumstances has many positive health benefits. But data suggests if IL-6 is increasingly expressed within the lungs of those who have contracted Covid then this could cause major issues. 

There are several types of tissues and cells within the body which are known to produce IL-6, these include: monocytes and macrophages; your immune system’s T and B cells; fibroblasts, which produce collagen and other fibres; endothelial cells; smooth muscle cells as well as; adipose tissue (fat). More about adipose tissue when we go over why obesity can also be a major issue with regards to your health and contracting the virus.

We all need inflammation for our bodies to heal and recover, but some of us will be more genetically predisposed to producing naturally higher levels of IL-6. And whilst we cannot change our genetic predisposition for inflammation, we can in many instances compensate for its effect.

·      Don’t over train. Exercising is great but too much or insufficient rest will be one of the quickest ways to increase your inflammation and reduce your immune system.  

·      Avoid processed foods, as foods which make us feel better in the short term (whilst comfort eating) will offer no health benefits for us in the long term. 

·      Vegetable oils should be avoided altogether.

·      Incorporate more fruit and vegetables into your diet. 

·      Omega 3, especially EPA and DHA from fish is fantastic.

·      Turmeric, Cherry and Ginger are great at reducing the expression of various inflammation genes, and in many instances work the same as ibuprofen but without the negative side effects   

Male

According to the latest figures around 70% of all critically ill patients in ICU have been male.

Why are males more prone to contracting the virus and then having a severe reaction? One possible reason stems from our genetic code as females luckily have two X chromosomes.

Why is this important? The ACE2 gene is located on the X chromosome, meaning that women have more receptors/copies than men. When the virus infects the cell and starts to reduce its function and the expression of ACE2, then the more copies and receptors that women have will be extremely beneficial.

Ethnic minorities 

This has made the news headlines over the last couple of weeks with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan calling for an inquiry as to why black and ethnic minorities have unfortunately seen higher numbers of infection.  

Viruses are not alive, and do not have any particular type of agenda. So why are ethnic minorities more at risk of contracting the virus? 

We need to take some emotion out of this, which unfortunately clouds the issue, and look at the data more clearly. This might just provide us with some answers as to why the virus is affecting ethnic minorities slightly more.

Firstly, a high proportion of medical professionals working in the NHS are from an ethnic background.

Yes, there may also be sociological issues that we might need to look at further, but if it was due to fact that ethnic minorities are more likely to be unemployed or in low paid work, or living in overcrowded households with not much space.

Then why are the numbers in Africa and Asia so low? The vast majority in these areas live in poverty with poor sanitation as well as being malnourished with autoimmune issues (1 in 5 suffer from HIV in South Africa), with no social distancing.

There could be more to this, and we need to start peeling back the layers to figure out what is actually going on.

The first 10 doctors to die from the virus were from ethnic minorities, but they were also older in years (so a weakened immune system and less ACE2 receptors), with many coming out of retirement to help.

They were also male. Which again means fewer ACE2 receptors.

We also need to remember that a lot of medical professionals are also not the healthiest at the best of times, as they are:

1.     Working horrendous hours

Working long hours, possibly 12-14-hour shifts and not sleeping much is the norm for the majority of doctors and nurses. This will lead to a whole host of health issues which, at this current moment in time, will be magnified putting them more at risk of infection as their immune system will be virtually non-existent.

2.     Under a massive amount of stress

Medical staff are usually under a massive amount of stress each day as they are both under-resourced and staffed. Now times this by 10 because of the virus and again their immune will have stopped working weeks ago, as stress hormones can shut down the immune system in a matter of days.

3.     Poor diets 

1 (working long hours) + 2 (under a huge amount of stress) = 3 poor dietary choices.

Sadly, the vast majority of hospitals are full of coffee shops, fast food outlets and junk food vending machines selling us complete rubbish.

If you are working every hour that god sends, under a huge amount of stress (that 99.9% of doctors and nurses are) then you’re going to reach for the quickest most convenient thing to hand, which in most instances are packets of crisps, chocolate bars and fizzy drinks.

Junk food is not beneficial in terms of keeping you fit and healthy while supporting the immune system. It also piles the pounds on with obesity also being a real issue with regards to your immunity.

You add all of these up and it creates perfect conditions to unfortunately be heavily affected by the virus 

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency will affect people with darker skin when living in the northern hemisphere, especially during the winter months.

Why is this? Melanin, which gives the darker pigmentation and colour to the skin, is basically “mother natures” sunblock. Meaning people with darker skin will have a real issue converting the sun’s rays.

This might be one reason as to why Africa and Asia have seen vastly reduced numbers, as they will have a healthy amount of sun each day.

Why is Vitamin D so important? It is required for the regulation of the innate immune response. It has also been shown in various studies to have a protective effect against respiratory tract infections, and it also upregulates ACE2 within the lungs.

One report from Sweden showed that 40% of the deaths in Stockholm are from an African background even though they only equate to 0.84% of the population.

Can you see that there seems to be a common denominator with regards to the ACE2 gene?

Again, these aren’t definitive conclusions, but they do start to add more pieces to the equation.

Obesity

Over 70% of ICU patients have been overweight or obese, which brings up the question...  

Can you be obese and healthy? It is a contentious issue, here’s why.

Firstly, we cannot confuse the terms “fit” with “healthy” as they are vastly different and, in most instances, poles apart.

Sportsmen and women are extremely fit for their chosen sport, but are they healthy? That question, for the vast majority, would be a resounding no. Having been a professional rugby player to then working with a whole variety of teams and players such as All Blacks legend and Captain Sean Fitzpatrick.

I don’t think I’ve met one player past or present that isn’t held together by tape, stitches or metal plates, and/or that gets out of bed in the morning without carrying some sort of knock or injury.

So, if you are carrying lots of excess bodyfat then it will be virtually impossible to be “healthy”. If you’re exercising and eating relatively well you can be healthier than if you were not, but if you have higher bodyfat levels, you will have naturally higher amounts of inflammation and in particular IL-6.

The body will see your fat cells as an infection, which will be resonating 24 hours per day 7 days per week. Vitamin D levels will also be lower in those who are obese, as vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin which is stored in the bodyfat and will find it harder to be released into the blood stream. If you are obese or carrying too much bodyfat then you will have around 50% less circulating vitamin D in your blood.

Remember vitamin D helps support the immune system and upregulates the ACE2 gene.

In conclusion there are 4 main areas to look at. We will need to factor in those who have underlying health issues, with particular attention to those with health issues such as auto immune, respiratory, high blood pressure and taking medications such as ACE inhibitors.

Do our genes affect our immune system?

It’s like anything really, we will all be genetically predisposed to the way the body functions. Some people are born with extremely strong “immune genes”, whereas others are born with a weaker response and will be more at risk of getting ill. 

We also need to remember that just because you have the misfortune of being born with poorer genes that encode for a weaker immune response. Does that mean there is little or nothing you can do to improve your immune system and health?

The short answer is no. We can largely compensate for their effect by eating key foods, vitamins and minerals to improve how your genes express themselves and function.

We need to remember that nature and nurture are both at play here. Yes, we can have extremely beneficial genes in a whole variety of areas but if they are not given the correct stimulus and nurturing then their response will be subdued.

For instance, I’m sure all of us would agree that Usain Bolt is 1 in a billion, with regards to physiological traits and genetic gifts for sprinting. Mother nature had indeed been extremely kind when dishing out the “sprinter genes”

But if Usain had stayed at home, and carried on to just play cricket and not been all that fussed about running on a track and dedicating himself to training day after day, week after week for years then he would never achieved his genetic potential for speed.

This analogy resonates with most and helps to explain the nature vs nurture debate of late. There is also a great saying of “hard work beats talent, when talent doesn’t work hard” 

So, if we apply the same logic to your immune system you can quickly see how you can segue this over to your health and wellbeing. If you have fantastic immune genes and have a horrendous lifestyle and diet, then guess what? Your genes and “mother nature” can only protect you for so long if you’re resting on your laurels.

Whereas, if you nurture your genes no matter how strong or weak, they are, then you will improve or compensate for their effect and you will step into the world of epigenetics. 

Muhdo understands that we all come with a set of unique genetic predispositions, but our lifestyle and environments will affect those same genetic traits and either dilute or accentuate them through a process called methylation and epigenetics.

DNA methylation (DNAm) is a process where tiny chemical markers called methyl groups will attach to one of the four nucleotide bases on your DNA (adenine [A], cytosine [C], guanine [G], or thymine [T]).

As we naturally age these methyl groups will either hypo (low) or hyper (high) methylate regions across your genome. This will then affect how specific genes and biological processes function, such as your immune system.

Simply having “good genes” offers no guarantees to our health and wellbeing, nor does it on living to 100. Muhdo helps to simplify the fact that epigenetics is the intersection between genetics, nutrition, and environment and how diet, micronutrients, exercise and sleep can all change the expression of our genes - and all of this at a touch of a button!

For the most part, there will be 2 things that you keep with you for the majority of your life: your mobile phone and your health. And as the symbiosis between humans and AI moves ever closer and at an exponential rate, the realisation that the synergy between man and machine could possibly be the panacea for improving our health and longevity.

Muhdo allows each of our users the ability to understand their genetic and epigenetic blueprint, but to then be able to see how their day to day lives such as their diet, exercise, sleep and environment are affecting them at a genetic and cellular level.

Immune health

There are many factors which need to be considered in relation to being more at risk from contracting or having a severe reaction to a cold or virus.

We've been working hard to bring to you a new Health Insight that you can really use in the current situation. The Muhdo Immunity Health Insight includes crucial information about how your genetics affects your immune system, while also providing real-life, actionable recommendations to boost your immunity.

The Immune Health mode includes the following areas:

• Immune function.
• Vitamin D and the immune system.
• B vitamins and the immune system.
• Selenium and immunity.
• PTPN22 and immunity.

PTPN22 is a gene, which helps the immune system through supressing inflammation, fighting bacterial infection and regulates the function of T cells and B cells.

Stay safe and stay healthy the best way you possibly can! 💪

With muhdo.com