Antibody Levels After COVID-19 Vaccination Inversely Linked to Body Weight

MONDAY, May 23, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Following COVID-19 vaccination, there is an inverse correlation between anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-specific antibody levels and body weight, according to a study published online May 19 in JAMA Network Open.

Su Youn Nam, M.D., Ph.D., from Kyungpook National University Hospital in Daegu, South Korea, and colleagues examined factors associated with anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels in a prospective cohort study involving 50 health care workers with no history of SARS-CoV-2 infection who received two doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (first dose, March 17 to 21, 2021; second dose, April 7 to 10, 2021).

The researchers found that over time, the mean serum antibody level decreased (91.9, 89.3, and 81.5 percent at two, four, and six months, respectively). There was a correlation for serum antibody levels at six months with antibody levels at two months. An inverse correlation was seen for the anti-SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody level with weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat amount, and body weight-to-height ratio. In a multiple linear regression analysis for women, a one-standard deviation (SD) increase in body weight, weight-to-height ratio, and BMI was associated with a 4 to 5 percent decrease in anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. A lower serum level of antibody (<81.5 percent) was associated with weight in an adjusted analysis using categorized variables (weight ≥55 kg: odds ratio, 9.01).

“Anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels at two, four, and six months after vaccination were inversely correlated with weight, BMI, and weight-to-height ratio. Further studies are needed to clarify these findings,” the authors write.

The study was supported by SG Medical 2021.

Abstract/Full Text