It’s flu season once again. Flu outbreaks are being reported in many areas of the nation and the reports are growing in number every day. Consequently, everywhere one turns they are being bombarded with warnings to everyone, young and old, to get a flu shot.

Last year, it was reported that the flu vaccine wasn’t as effective as in years past because during the 11 months it took to make the vaccine, the main strain of flu had mutated enough that the vaccine was only about 30% – 35% effective.

This year, there has been no word of a mutated strain, leading many medical experts to recommend that everyone possible get their flu shot. Many businesses are offering free flu shots to their employees. Many pharmacies and doctors’ offices around the country are also offering free flu shots.

There is even a stronger dose flu vaccine designed for seniors to help protect them with their weaker immune systems. The hope is that more people this year will get their flu shot and keep the number of doctor visits, hospital visits, and deaths, down.

Since I have a weakened immune system and am now around more people, I followed the warnings and got my flu shot and so did my wife. I tried to get the stronger senior dose but was unable to, but my wife did get the stronger dose vaccine. Having received the flu shot, I was feeling pretty safe until I saw this report:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says flu season is starting to ramp up — and it’s not too late to reduce your risk with a vaccine.

But scientists have come to realize that flu vaccines are less effective for people who are overweight or obese. Considering that excess weight affects more than two-thirds of the U.S. adult population, that’s a significant shortcoming.

Researchers are studying why that’s the case, with an eye toward developing better flu vaccines.

This issue came to light during the 2009 flu pandemic, the first major outbreak of the 21st century. Health officials noticed that the flu was taking a particular toll on people who were significantly overweight.

So, why are overweight people more susceptible to the flu and making the flu shot less effective? The report stated:

“The virus is able to grow to higher [concentrations] and spread deeper in your lungs, which is not what you want during an influenza infection,” she says.

And people weren’t simply getting sicker — they were also more likely to spread the disease. That has the potential to amplify a flu outbreak.

Schultz-Cherry says this point is highlighted in a study of volunteers at the University of Maryland.

“The students who were overweight/obese actually had more virus coming out in their exhaled breath,” Schultz-Cherry says.

We constantly hear about the health dangers and risks of being overweight and obese and this report just adds to that growing list. This is one of the many reasons that I have been taking measures to lose weight, along with putting my type 2 diabetes into remission.

I’ve already lost 34 pounds and by dieting and increasing my activity, I’ve managed to lower my A1C from 8.6 in May to only 6.4 a week ago. That change proves that my diabetes is weight and diet-induced and by changing my lifestyle, I hope to not only put my diabetes into remission but to help make the flu shot more effective in protecting me from the deadly virus.