Now more than ever a healthy weight is vital and JumpstartMD is your best weight loss partner.
Wondering how to protect yourself and prevent complications should you contract COVID-19? One of the most important things you can do for your health and well-being is to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Like in so many other chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol abnormalities, being overweight or obese is a risk factor.
JumpstartMD’s medically supervised weight loss program is helping people across the Bay Area live happier, healthier lives and prevent or reverse chronic diseases. JumpstartMD is not a diet, it’s a lifestyle that can truly protect you.
Dr. Bourke, JumpstartMD’s Founder and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. Bourke, JumpstartMD’s Founder and Chief Medical Officer answers your questions of the relationship between our weight and COVID-19 risk factors. Dr. Bourke completed his undergraduate degree in history at Yale College, earned his medical degree and graduated with Highest Distinction from the University of Southern California School of Medicine and thereafter completed his residency at Stanford.
Q: What is the role of weight in the COVID-19 pandemic?
A: Being overweight is one of the primary risk factors for serious COVID-19 infections. That’s a concerning situation given that nearly three-quarters of Americans are overweight (about 32%) or obese (42%). The good news is that excess weight can be easily reversed and a healthy BMI can be achieved with the right guide path and support.
Q: How do I determine my BMI and why is this important?
A: For most people BMI or body mass index, a ratio determined by one’s height and weight, is important as it correlates with risk of a host of chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, cholesterol abnormalities, heart attack, stroke, even risk of eight different cancers. Algorithms to determine BMI are quite common and easily found on the internet and require solely one’s height and weight. Normal weight is defined as a BMI between 19 and 25, overweight between 25 and 30, and obese above 30.
Q: How does my weight affect my immune system?
A: Being over-weight (20lbs over ideal weight), or obese (30lbs over ideal weight) can lead to chronic, systemic inflammation that negatively impacts immune function over time. In the case of COVID-19, inflammatory overload also contributes to the severity of illness, particularly during the 2nd phase of COVID-19 infections. Diseases like diabetes, metabolic syndrome, overweight or obesity marked by excessive abdominal fat, and even pre-diabetes are marked by underlying systemic inflammation. That may be one of the reasons that people with diseases like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension, 3 diseases all commonly tied to the metabolic syndrome, are more prone to serious COVID-19 infections.
Our weight can also affect our lungs or “pulmonary system” in ways that predispose obese or overweight individuals to more serious respiratory infections like COVID-19. For example, excess abdominal fat may compress the diaphragm in a way that restricts breathing and makes it more difficult to clear or manage a lung infection.
Q: What steps do you recommend for anyone trying to lose weight and build immunity?
While on the one hand there’s no one size fits all weight loss solution that works for all people, we published a study in early 2020 in the Journal of Obesity on the weight loss results of over 22,000 of our members. That study showed clearly that a real food based, low carbohydrate diet with the right support and accountability structure produced clinically meaningful and superior weight loss results when compared with studies of all other commercial weight loss offerings.
So, in the end, the steps are multi-faceted but ideally include consumption of real, nutrient dense foods in the right proportions to drive not only dramatic improvements in weight but reversal of some of diseases tied to risk of serious COVID-19 infections. Diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, excess abdominal fat, or, said a different way, diseases associated with “insulin resistance,” that critical sign of metabolic dysfunction tied to systemic inflammation and, in its full manifestation, immune system dysfunction.
Q: How does the JumpstartMD program work? How quickly will I see results?
Our program is founded on proven science, weekly one on one, in person or telehealth visits, with our team of compassionate expert health coaches and clinicians, medical support if and where needed, and real food that is individualized both to one’s likes and dislikes and metabolic profile. Our study showed average weight loss results of about 5% or 10 pounds at month one, 10% or nearly 31 pounds at month 3 and more beyond that. 5% and 10% weight loss are both clinically significant, meaningful amounts that can quickly improve or reverse metabolic diseases and lower one’s risk of serious COVID-19 infections.
Q: Losing weight is difficult especially now. How is JumpstartMD different and what are the average results?
A: We understand that losing weight may be difficult during these difficult times, but we are here to help and have the right program for it. As noted earlier, our study of over 22,000 members showed clinically significant and sustainable results that were far superior to other (nationally recognized) weight loss offerings. (see above for average results). JumpstartMD does not count calories, is not an app and is not about replacing your food with premade ones. At JumpstartMD we believe in real food, real science and real results!
Q: Is now a good time to start a weight loss program?
A: In the midst of this unprecedented current pandemic, now has never been a better time for those ready to make a life changing and potentially life-saving commitment to their health and well-being. Your improved health will not only positively affect your life, but itwill also affect the lives of your loved ones. Choose a weight loss program that fits your needs. If you don’t know where to start, call to speak with one of our compassionate weight loss experts and ask your questions.
We are here for you!
