Today’s newspaper headlines highlight the NICE guidelines that make “recommendations on the provision of effective multi-component lifestyle weight management services for adults who are overweight or obese (aged 18 and over)”. The major health problems often cited as a consequence of obesity are a higher risk of developing heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes; cutting just 3% of body fat, as recommended by NICE, can help lower the risks significantly.
Obesity is now often termed a chronic condition, and as we know with the other chronic conditions that we specifically cover on talkhealth, chronic means there is generally NO magic cure or wand…. What it means is learning how to manage your condition on a day to day basis and hopefully with careful monitoring and lifestyle changes, the condition can be kept under control. For many of our members it is these changes that mean a disease/condition is no longer controlling or defining their life.
NICE are recommending that the state help pay for people to attend weight loss programmes such as Weight Watchers and Slimming World. However can the state afford to pay such programmes – and should our taxes be used for this? The arguments for are the amount of potential cost savings this will bring, but is it a reality that they would pay or be able to pay? Likewise for many just losing 3% or even 5% of bodyweight wouldn’t bring about the health advantages or the savings that are purported to be saved.
Weight is always an intense topic of discussion and opinion, it is no surprise that the name Marya Rosales is one of the highest searched terms on talkhealth. This is the lady who falsely admitted to killing her young nephew by rolling on him, when in fact it was her sister who had beaten him. Marya felt due to her own weight issues that her own life was over anyway – she was morbidly obese and had to be cut out of her house. Since this time she has now lost an incredible four-fifths of her body weight and claimed her life back… It would now be flippant to say that losing such a small percent in this case would have made any difference.
We have a huge amount of information and support on talkhealth on weight – from our talkweight hub, to our NHS Choices Online Clinic on Weight with leading experts and charities, through to our page on the different types of diets that are available.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts and views on the new NICE guidelines here…
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The debate on whether the government should help with weight loss programs is very interesting. Without a doubt something does have to be done because the problem of obesity continues to rise. This is despite having more information available to us than any other time and despite all sorts of medical advances.
on May 28, 2014 at 1:11 pm KelanHaving spent the weekend in Copenhagen – where there are more bicycles than people and 50% of people cycle to work every day (even when it’s below freezing in Winter) – I think there is a lot to be said for investing in initiatives such as cycle lanes (the Danes have dedicated cycle pavements with their own traffic light filters on most roads). I think there should be an emphasis on incorporating exercise into our daily lives by encouraging cycling and making it as safe as possible as this is the most likely way that the weight will stay off as we don’t need to set aside time and it can become part of a routine, and reduce pollution at the same time!
on May 28, 2014 at 1:31 pm KirstyI blog often and I genuinely appreciate your content.
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