Professor Naveed Sattar argues that genetics, rather than laziness or greed, underlie obesity, emphasizing the role of appetite genes in overeating. He highlighted that around 3.4 million UK adults qualify for weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro, which could cost the NHS £10 billion annually. While Sattar notes many struggle to resist unhealthy foods, Professor Barbra McGowan stresses the need for behavior and lifestyle changes alongside medication. Mounjaro, which leads to greater weight loss than Wegovy, has no time limit for use, but NHS concerns about service strain have influenced its distribution.
Government leaders on obesity medical goals have argued that overeating is due to genes, not a person’s willpower.
Professor Naveed Sattar from Glasgow suggested it was a mistake to think that people were “lazy or greedy” and instead should consider their appetite genes.
This comes as around 3.4 million adults in the UK are currently covered by weight loss drugs on the NHS and one in three are thought to be overweight.
Speaking on BBC One’s Panorama: Weight Loss Jab and the NHS, Professor Sattar said some people find it harder to resist unhealthy food than others.
“Many people still think that individuals are lazy or greedy. The reality is that our appetite genes have not changed in the past 50 years. But what has changed is our environment.” he said.
“So we’ve made it too easy for people to consume too many calories.”
He added: “I think it’s genetic.” Genes determine the ability to tolerate food. If you ask 99 percent of people living with obesity if they want to live with obesity, the answer is no.
“They’ve tried their best in their lives not to be overweight or live with obesity, but they haven’t been able to do that.”
Professor Naveed Sattar (pictured) suggested it was wrong to think people were “lazy or greedy” and instead should consider their appetite genes.
Professor Sattar said some people have a harder time resisting unhealthy food than others.
An estimated 3.4 million Brits meet the criteria to receive a Wegoby and Munjaro prescription, costing £10bn a year.
During the programme, Professor Barbra McGowan, Obesity Clinical Lead at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, suggested that people need to actively decide to change their behavior to keep their weight in check.
“I think it’s important to tell patients that medications will help them reach their goals, but it’s really, really important to change their behavior, change their lifestyle, change their diet,” she said.
It has been revealed that weight-loss drugs “could bankrupt the NHS” if they were prescribed to all eligible patients.
An estimated 3.4 million Brits meet the criteria to receive a Wegoby and Munjaro prescription, which costs £10 billion a year.
All weight loss jabs, including Ozempic, contain semaglutide, which mimics a gut hormone that sends signals to the brain that you’re full and slows the movement of food through the stomach.
Wegovy and Mounjaro help people lose 10 to 25 percent of their body weight.
Studies have shown that Mounjaro leads to more weight loss than Wegovy, with an average weight loss of about 25% after one year, compared to 16% for Wegovy.
Treatment with Wegovy is limited to two years, but Mounjaro, dubbed the “King Kong” of weight loss jabs, has no limit on how long patients can use it.
But the NHS has been rolling out Mounjaro for 12 years over concerns it could overwhelm services.
Over the next three years, it is estimated that 220,000 of the 3.4 million eligible people in the UK will benefit.
