Weight loss injections are not a silver bullet
As Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledges to cut down on “wasteful spending” within public services, weight management expert Margaret Miles-Bramwell OBE, founder and chair of Slimming World, is calling for a review of spending on unnecessary weight loss medication.
The government must take action and recognise weight loss drugs are not the silver bullet, the Holy Grail or the quick fix for obesity. Far from it! Spending UK taxpayers’ money on unnecessary and expensive drugs, the long-term effects of which no one knows, is not the answer, especially when there is a way to support people to lose weight, and keep it off, that doesn’t cost the taxpayer anything.
It was only recently that we heard most people eligible for weight loss medication Mounjaro won’t have access to it for up to 12 years because there isn’t the capacity to support the rollout within the NHS. This isn’t good enough. Especially when there are real evidence-based alternatives, more cost-effective solutions, that can help people now.
I understand the desperation people living with obesity feel – I understand it because I’ve felt it myself. These drugs have been hailed as lifesaving, and when you’re desperate you’ll want to believe in the quick fix. But painful and expensive weekly injections, with potentially horrific side effects that remove the pleasure from eating and socialising, are most certainly not the answer. Especially one that finds parents not being able to face cooking nutritious meals for their children.
In fact, there is no one simple medical solution to the complex problems of obesity. But there are healthy, nutritional solutions that work and that last for life. People want to lose weight without hunger – of course they do. Weight loss without hunger is not just a dream – it is a health-giving reality that will not condemn the next generation to a life damaged by unhealthy eating.
This is something we at Slimming World have been doing for 55 years – helping people lose weight without hunger – and feeling better about themselves on the inside and out from day one. We witness members at our groups and through our digital programme grow in self-esteem, self-belief and self-worth every day because of what they achieve for themselves, as well as improve their physical health and the health of their family.
We recently responded to the NHS 10-Year Plan consultation urging the government to review its current focus on weight loss medication. A comprehensive and effective obesity strategy that offers people choices is what’s needed – not everybody wants to take drugs, not everybody who wants to lose weight is eligible, and they won't even work for everybody.
For real, sustainable weight loss, support to make positive behaviour changes to diet and activity is needed. And access to this support is crucial – not everyone wants to, or can use, digital support for a variety of reasons. Technology and digital solutions should complement in-person support, not replace it.
We have worked in partnership with the NHS since 2001 when we pioneered ‘Slimming World on Referral’, enabling health professionals to refer patients to a local Slimming World community group for 12 weeks. These members lose an average of 5.6 per cent of their body weight in that time, which is significantly cheaper than funding weight loss drugs.
And for those who do decide to take weight loss medication, behaviour change wraparound support during and after they stop the medication is vital. This will increase the likelihood that weight loss is maintained, for long-term health benefits, and to ensure the cost of the drugs isn’t wasted.
If it is true that these drugs won’t actually be available for everyone eligible for years, then I think it’s a blessing in disguise. One in four people in the UK is struggling with obesity and having the fight of their life right now. They need the government to take action and offer healthy help and support right now.
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