Flu Shots Less Effective for Obese People, University of North Carolina Study

A flu shot may not be enough to protect overweight people from influenza. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that obesity may make annual flu shots less effective. The findings, published this week in the International Journal of Obesity, provide evidence explaining a phenomenon that was noticed for the first time during the 2009 H1N1 flu outbreak: Obesity is associated with an impaired immune response to the influenza vaccination in humans.

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