Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan;38(1):e3465.
doi: 10.1002/dmrr.3465. Epub 2021 May 11.

Central obesity, smoking habit, and hypertension are associated with lower antibody titres in response to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine

Mikiko Watanabe  1 , Angela Balena  1 , Dario Tuccinardi  2 , Rossella Tozzi  3 , Renata Risi  1 , Davide Masi  1 , Alessandra Caputi  1 , Rebecca Rossetti  1 , Maria Elena Spoltore  1 , Valeria Filippi  4 , Elena Gangitano  1 , Silvia Manfrini  2 , Stefania Mariani  1 , Carla Lubrano  1 , Andrea Lenzi  1 , Claudio Mastroianni  4 , Lucio Gnessi  1
Affiliations

Central obesity, smoking habit, and hypertension are associated with lower antibody titres in response to COVID-19 mRNA vaccine

Mikiko Watanabe et al. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2022 Jan.

Abstract

Aims: To explore variables associated with the serological response following COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.

Methods: Eighty-six healthcare workers adhering to the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 were enrolled in January-February 2021. All subjects underwent two COVID-19 mRNA vaccine inoculations (Pfizer/BioNTech) separated by 3 weeks. Blood samples were collected before the 1st and 1-4 weeks after the second inoculation. Clinical history, demographics, and vaccine side effects were recorded. Baseline anthropometric parameters were measured, and body composition was performed through dual-energy-X-ray absorptiometry.

Results: Higher waist circumference was associated with lower antibody (Ab) titres (R = -0.324, p = 0.004); smokers had lower levels compared to non-smokers [1099 (1350) vs. 1921 (1375), p = 0.007], as well as hypertensive versus normotensive [650 ± 1192 vs. 1911 (1364), p = 0.001] and dyslipideamic compared to those with normal serum lipids [534 (972) vs 1872 (1406), p = 0.005]. Multivariate analysis showed that higher waist circumference, smoking, hypertension, and longer time elapsed since second vaccine inoculation were associated with lower Ab titres, independent of BMI, age. and gender.

Conclusions: Central obesity, hypertension, and smoking are associated with lower Ab titres following COVID-19 vaccination. Although it is currently impossible to determine whether lower SARS-CoV-2 Abs lead to higher likelihood of developing COVID-19, it is well-established that neutralizing antibodies correlate with protection against several viruses including SARS-CoV-2. Our findings, therefore, call for a vigilant approach, as subjects with central obesity, hypertension, and smoking could benefit from earlier vaccine boosters or different vaccine schedules.

Keywords: BMI; SARS CoV-2; immunogenicity; infection; vaccination; waist circumference.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there are no conflict of interests.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Serological response in relation to selected cardiometabolic conditions and risk factors. (A) Scattered dot‐plot representing the correlation between anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 antibody titres and waist circumference. p is from a univariate linear regression analysis, with Ab titres as the dependent variable and waist circumference as the independent variable; (B) smokers; (C) hypertensive subjects; and (D) dyslipideamic subjects showed lower Ab titres compared to non‐smokers, normotensive, and those with a normal lipid profile, respectively. *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, **p < 0.001, ***p < 0.000
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Watanabe M, Caruso D, Tuccinardi D, et al. Visceral fat shows the strongest association with the need of intensive care in patients with COVID‐19. Metabolism. 2020;111:154319. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Petrilli CM, Jones SA, Yang J, et al. Factors associated with hospital admission and critical illness among 5279 people with coronavirus disease 2019 in New York City: prospective cohort study. BMJ. 2020;369;m1966. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Watanabe M, Risi R, Tuccinardi D, Baquero CJ, Manfrini S, Gnessi L. Obesity and SARS‐CoV ‐2: a population to safeguard. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2020;36(7):e3325. 10.1002/dmrr.3325 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Busetto L, Bettini S, Fabris R, et al. Obesity and COVID‐19: an Italian snapshot. Obesity. 2020;28:1600‐1605. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ledford H. How obesity could create problems for a COVID vaccine. Nature. 2020;586(7830):488‐489. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms