- Health Secretary Wes Streeting emphasises the importance of exercise despite using weight loss jabs
- Obesity jabs help, but individuals must still adopt healthy habits
- Obesity costs the UK £27 billion annually in healthcare and economic losses
People using weight loss injections still have “a responsibility to look after their own health” by exercising frequently, according to Wes Streeting.
Following a healthy diet and regular exercise should be adopted by individuals with obesity, even if they are using weight loss jabs, the Health Secretary has said.
Overweight and obesity affects two in three people living in the UK, with data revealing that on average most adults weight a stone more than 30 years ago.
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NHS figures have shown that a typical middle-aged British man weighs roughly 14 stone and a middle-aged woman from the UK weighs around 12 stone.
More than one million people in the UK are set to receive a weight loss jab as the NHS prepares to launch a roll out, with the heaviest and sickest people first to get them.
Described as the ‘King Kong’ of weight loss injections, Mounjaro has helped adults lose more than a quarter of their body weight in just over 18 months.
Through healthcare costs and benefits, obesity costs the economy roughly £27 billion a year, figures have shown.
Wes Streeting said: “Obesity is a huge drag on the NHS, the economy, and the quality of people’s lives, so obesity jabs are an exciting innovation. But we don’t want to encourage a dependency culture where people think it’s OK not to bother eating healthily or exercising because the NHS will pick up the tab and pay for their weight loss jab.
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“People have the right to expect top quality healthcare, but also a responsibility to look after their own health, so we’ve got to get the balance right.”
After smoking, obesity is the second highest cause of preventable death, costing the NHS £11.4 billion per year.
Brits with a body mass index of at least 27 and weight-related health conditions are eligible for Wegovy and Mounjaro injections.
The NHS National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity, Dr Clare Hambling said: “Action is urgently needed across society to turn the tide on the rising [obesity] rates seen in recent decades and stop so many lives being cut short.”
