UK obesity epidemic: The UPF scapegoat debate<\/a>Equity and long\u2011term risks<\/p>\n\u201cWhile there can be no doubt that GLP\u20111 drugs are a highly effective treatment option for those living with obesity and related conditions, significant questions remain about their long\u2011term impact,\u201d said Rebecca Tobi, head of food business transformation at The Food Foundation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere remain a number of gaps in the evidence base, wider unanswered questions around the potential impact on health inequities, and the risk of unintended consequences from unregulated online prescription of the drugs and their long\u2011term use.\u201d<\/p>\n
She continued: \u201cThe government must remain focused on the wider prevention agenda. And food businesses and investors must continue to ensure wholesale shifts in portfolios towards food offerings that are both healthy and affordable.\u201d<\/p>\n
The report warns that due to the disparity between availability and demand, people from lower\u2011income communities \u2013 who are more likely to be living with obesity \u2013 are also significantly less likely to be able to afford private prescriptions and are therefore set to be disproportionately affected by the shortage.<\/p>\n
Food businesses and investors must continue to ensure wholesale shifts in portfolios towards food offerings that are both healthy and affordable.<\/p>\n
Rebecca Tobi, head of food business transformation, The Food Foundation<\/p>\n
The Food Foundation says this risks widening existing health inequalities further, and warns that food businesses may respond to growing numbers of consumers taking GLP\u20111s by increasing prices to recoup profits lost through declining volumes, or by continuing to launch premium versions of pre\u2011prepared meals and products designed and marketed specifically for GLP\u20111 users.<\/p>\n
Call for joined\u2011up action<\/p>\n
Despite the rapid weight\u2011loss effects offered by GLP\u20111s, the charity also cautions against blind reliance on the medication, as studies show rapid weight regain when patients return to the wider food environment following the standard two\u2011year NHS GLP\u20111 prescription.<\/p>\n
This, the report argues, is driven by easier access to unhealthy options compared with healthier choices. As such, it stresses that regulating the food environment must remain a policy priority, with more evidence needed on long\u2011term effects \u2013 particularly for children and adolescents \u2013 and on extended or repeated use.<\/p>\n
Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance, added: \u201cThere is a real risk that those who would benefit most are the least able to access these medicines \u2013 either at all, or as intended alongside the wrap\u2011around support needed to sustain weight loss.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExpanding NHS access is necessary, but only part of the answer. These medicines should be a reset moment to improve the food environment, while also supporting the health of people living with obesity. Lasting progress will depend on doing both.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also read \u2192 The new reality of food: From weight loss meds to global supply disruption<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new survey, compiled by charity and think tank The Food Foundation, has revealed that an estimated 8.25…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":26192,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[122,11694,11695,11696,11697,5,6,5767,11698,11699],"class_list":["post-26191","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-uk","tag-drugs","tag-glp-1","tag-glp1","tag-magnifying","tag-ozempic","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-weight-loss","tag-weightloss","tag-zepbound"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@UnitedKingdom\/116497373129828304","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26191","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26191"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26191\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26191"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26191"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26191"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}