The Weight Loss Jab Debate: Public Health Collaboration’s response to BBC Panorama

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – 17.01.2025

(Video version available at bottom of post)

This week’s BBC Panorama programme on the emerging weight-loss injections, hailed as a potential breakthrough for combating obesity, has sparked a crucial conversation about how we approach the growing health crisis in the UK.

While these medications can help people lose weight, the Public Health Collaboration’s position is that relying on pharmaceutical interventions risks sidelining a more sustainable, holistic approach to weight management: lifestyle change.

Obesity is a complex issue influenced by a myriad of factors, including genetics, environment, and behaviour. However, as highlighted by Dr David Unwin on ITV News last week, we must not underestimate the power of dietary and lifestyle interventions. Dr Unwin’s work with patients in Southport demonstrates that empowering individuals with knowledge about food and its metabolic impact can lead to transformative health outcomes, including weight loss, improved blood sugar levels, and reduced reliance on medications.

Dr Unwin’s approach, centred on a low-carbohydrate, real-food diet, underscores a fundamental truth: lifestyle interventions address the root causes of obesity rather than merely managing its symptoms. Notably, following a low-carbohydrate, real-food diet can naturally boost the production of GLP-1, the hormone targeted by these weight-loss injections. This natural increase in GLP-1, driven by dietary choices, can help regulate appetite and improve metabolic health without the need for costly pharmaceuticals. By shifting away from ultra-processed foods high in sugar and refined carbohydrates, Dr Unwin’s patients have experienced not just weight loss but also significant improvements in conditions such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension. These results have been achieved without the financial and logistical burden of long-term pharmaceutical dependency.

Investing in community-based programmes that promote healthier lifestyles is crucial. These measures are not only cost-effective in the long term but also empower individuals to take control of their health. The success stories emerging from GP practices like Dr Unwin’s highlight that when given the right tools and support, many people can achieve remarkable health improvements through relatively simple changes. This approach is reflected in our own type 2 diabetes remission course, The Lifestyle Club, which helps empower people to take control of their health through sustainable long-term lifestyle changes. We also help people overcome their ultra-processed food addiction through our addiction coaching course, Liberate.

The introduction of weight-loss injections on the NHS has its place in treating severe obesity, particularly when individuals face immediate health risks. However, research has only been conducted in the short-term and so, the long-term effects of these weight-loss medications remain uncertain. Also, they don’t address the psychological and behavioural patterns underpinning weight gain. Without addressing these root causes, we risk creating a cycle of dependency on medication rather than empowering people toward true health autonomy. Therefore, we must insist these treatments are not seen as a first-line solution or a replacement for lifestyle change. Instead, they should complement broader public health strategies that prioritise prevention, education and support.

Our message to healthcare professionals and the public at large is that prevention through education, support, dietary change, and lifestyle improvement must remain at the heart of our response to the obesity crisis.

For more information, please contact Public Health Collaboration via email on – info@phcuk.org – or telephone on – 0300 102 1684.