Conversely, though individuals with obesity and without COVID-19 exhibit markers of the NLRP3 inflammasome, the main mechanism of cell death is more likely necroptosis, not pyroptosis, mediated by caspase-9, a non-inflammatory form of cell death, non-related to the NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Here, NLRP3 is linked to obesity due to melanocortin 4 receptor deficiency.