NHS costs attributable to overweight and obesity are projected to reach £9.7 billion by 2050

[hellymissy]

So many posters keep banging on about people not wearing masks, spreading the virus and overwhelming the nhs, people breaking rules etc which is obviously an issue - but we also need to focus on some bigger issues around the long and short term sustainability of the NHS a d consider ways to fix them.

Extracts from government website shows that;

“UK and international evidence suggests that being severely overweight puts people at greater risk of hospitalisation, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission and death from COVID-19, with risk growing substantially as body mass index (BMI) increases.

The current evidence does not suggest that having excess weight increases people’s chances of contracting COVID-19. However, the data does show that obese people are significantly more likely to become seriously ill and be admitted to intensive care with COVID-19 compared to those with a healthy BMI.

The UK-wide NHS costs attributable to overweight and obesity are projected to reach £9.7 billion by 2050, with wider costs to society estimated to reach £49.9 billion per year.”

If anything will cripple the NHS it’s the direct and indirect impact of obesity on ICU units, and long term pressure obesity puts on the NHS.

Seriously, What else can we do to tackle obesity?

**this is NOT a fat shaming thread, purely a thread to redirect some peoples attention towards some of the real issues around COVID

'Also we do not treat alcoholics with the same ‘Just stop drinking’ attitude and expect them to have sorted themselves out in a month or two. It doesn’t work! They need help to overcome the physiological and mental consequences of their addiction. '

No, but they need to admit they are alcoholics and want to change/help themselves for any action to work.

The vast amout of overeaters I see daily can not possibly equate to all these dopamine induced disorders you talk about. The problem is, it has given many a get out clause, they can't help it, it's a dopamine thing.

If 80% of obese people did infact just reduce the amount they ate then the minority who have genuine psychology issues would I'm sure be able to access the correct support and be taken seriously.

Psychological*

I think most alcoholics eventually succeed in controlling the action of putting the bottle to their lips by eliminating alcohol from their lives altogether, and forever. I know a few ‘dry alcoholics’ who are terrified of the prospect of drinking a glass again as they are not able to drink in moderation, no matter how much they want to, and will relapse if they do.

Unfortunately obese people who are struggling with disordered eating still need to eat three times a day, so total abstinence isn’t an option and trying to moderate by themselves isn’t working.

You see, the thing in here is that they do not overeat on just anything. Just look at threads from people asking for help about their spouses. It's certain snacks and foods which get eaten while healthier options stocked are left behind. Many people on these and similar threats always mention how food has combinations to be addictive.

So yes, they could eliminate the trigger foods and not have them at home the same way like an alcoholic would do with alcohol. I dare to say that most people wouldn't be bingeing on kilos of cucumber. If yes, then they need extra help to stop.

I myself couldn't have crisps at home because i just HAD to eat them. Now I have 3 bags because I keep forgetting about them and buy new ones for movie night. It did mean not to have them home for months and then buy them ONLY on the day they were to be eaten. Because they just wouldn't last 1 more day...

[quote AwaAnBileYerHeid]@Pascal2908 wait a minute. I see you doing a pretty poor backtrack on here in regards to your previous comments. You told me to "get my facts right". About what exactly? I stated that the NHS carries out gastric band surgery. You then came on screeching that they DON'T do it. You then contradicted yourself in the very next sentence by saying that they do do it if you....well actually, let's see your quote, shall we...

"The NHS DON'T do Gastric bands !! Unless your obesity is so extreme that you need to lose a little weight t to be safe for the anaesthetic for Bariatric surgery.. get your facts right !!".

A BMI of 35 (which is what the required BMI is in my heath board for gastric band surgery) isn't 'obesity so extreme that you need to lose weight to be safe for the anesthetic before bariatric surgery.'

So what were you telling me to "get my facts right" about exactly? That they do do it? Which is exactly what I said...

You're backtracking and it's not even a smooth backtrack![/quote]
So you actually KNOW someone who had a band on the NHS who was BMI 35 ?

Well i don't. Perhaps your CCG has money to burn ?

I did not contradict myself as it was a statement within the same post ! No they don't do it .. unless you need help getting to a safe weight for surgery .. ie someone super morbidly obese BMI 50+ who needs to lose enough weight for the bypass/sleeve anaesthetic...

Why would the NHS spend any money on a procedure with a 40 % failure rate when the sleeve and bypass have an 83% success rate ?

It comes down to £££ at the end of the day. Looking after obese and morbidly obese patients clinically is very expensive. A bypass or sleeve pays for it self in 2 years. A band just costs more money .

I don’t think we should liken alcoholism to over eating though, food is essential to survival & alcohols not.

People have to eat something but the food industry is very good at continually pushing new foods on it that we simply must try but there’s no margin in fruit and veg is there?.

I see the government wants to ban pre-watershed junk food advertising & the industry apparently thinks this is unfair. I hope they do ban it though.

Sadly we have to accept and adjust our food intake

Why must people do that?

And I hope the government doesn't ban junk food advertising.

On the other hand, I'm happy with the government providing affordable stable housing, living wages and benefits, well resourced mental health and social support.

Oh - and a better funded and managed NHS. So that patients weren't left to languish unwel and gaining weight because of their undiagnosed health conditions.

So higher taxes it is. To pay for obesity support - and the drastically increased demand on pensions and social care costs.
That's sorted then.

*unwell

'So higher taxes it is. To pay for obesity support - and the drastically increased demand on pensions and social care costs. That's sorted then.'

Obesity support?!

How about a bit of basic healthy lifestyle advice. Not quite as enabling as you seem to want though.

So higher taxes it is. To pay for obesity support - and the drastically increased demand on pensions and social care costs. That's sorted then.'

But surely with all overweight people being so unhealthy, we'll do the rest of you a favour by dying early and saving you pension costs

You'd think wouldn't you @BonnieDundee
Some people are so ungrateful!

This thread makes me hungry (and want to smoke). Time for a bedtime slice

The research on diabetes is interesting and there are some early suggestions that it’s a actually a predisposition to diabetes, ie impaired glucose response and subsequently raised insulin levels, that makes some people more prone to becoming overweight whilst their friend could eat the same food and not gain weight. This is particularly true where weight is in the danger zone around the waist. Meanwhile the higher insulin levels also make you feel more hungry.

That’s not to say it’s impossible to be a healthy weight for some people. It’s still down to the individual at the end of the day. But it is a lot harder for some than others and whilst calories in, calories out is ultimately key, it’s not the only factor.

whilst calories in, calories out is ultimately key, it’s not the only factor.

well, it is. but it is very hard to calculate the exact amount of calories someone can eat without gaining weight. there is a lot of variation.

and it's even harder to stick to it if you calorie need is lower than the 'average for a woman' 2000 that is printed on food packaging.

many many women need less calories than that, especially women age 40 and upwards.

I agree, there are (rightly) interventions for those who are underweight as it poses a more immediate risk to their health; but there isn't much for those who are overweight, I suppose the can is kicked down the road, but we are now starting to see the rapid increase and something should be done. Education, addressing and having accessible support for those with underlying issues such as BED, making sure people have time and access to some sort of physical activity and it's ingrained from a young age. Fruit and veg couldn't really get much cheaper in supermarkets, so like they used to do here, a free bus to the supermarket from surrounding villages so people don't have to shop in a more expensive corner shop.

We need to look at the reasons why so many people are obese now compared to why they werent in 70s / 80s ans even 90s. It would be rare to see obese teenagers and young adults, now its the norm. So its not due to other diseases, a change in diet, eating habits, acceptibility, availability of larger clothes sizes. Maybe we have gone too far accommodaing and normalizing obesity so the motivation to remain within a size 8 - 16 is lower.
Snacking is another major factor. Decades earlier treats were weekly or more in school holidays, now treats / snacks can be school anack, lunchtme and when you get home from school, thats hundreds of sugary calories that a child doesnt need

Does it not make anyone very sad that the government are doing nothing about obesity? Or very little?

Not everything is the government’s fault. If adults need nannying to the extent where they need to be told what food to put in their mouths then I find that very worrying. Take some responsibility!

Flapjak I wonder if it’s also something that’s going into the food. Less baking, more processed stuff maybe? There is also some research into air pollution and whether that is changing metabolic responses.

So many people see themselves as victims now

There is obesity across the socio-economic spectrum

People make choices, it’s up to them

We are moving do far from individual responsibility it scares me.

Does it not make anyone very sad that the government are doing nothing about obesity? Or very little?

I want a government who does not overly interfere in people's lives. We can make our own decisions and deal with the outcomes from that.

Well the sugar tax is going to help mitigate some of the cost.
I also think help should be available to those who ask. If I was a smoker I would be able to attend a stop smoking clinic and get replacements on prescription. If I was an alcoholic I could attend services.
I asked my GP for help with weight loss as my weight is very much mixed up with emotional issues and feelings like self worth and stress.
I forgot tend to lose weight better with support but more so the periods where I lost weight I felt good and the external factors were more in control.
They said no as you pay for your prescriptions. My BMI was 40 at that stage.

@GetOffYourHighHorse

'Also we do not treat alcoholics with the same ‘Just stop drinking’ attitude and expect them to have sorted themselves out in a month or two. It doesn’t work! They need help to overcome the physiological and mental consequences of their addiction. '

No, but they need to admit they are alcoholics and want to change/help themselves for any action to work.

The vast amout of overeaters I see daily can not possibly equate to all these dopamine induced disorders you talk about. The problem is, it has given many a get out clause, they can't help it, it's a dopamine thing.

If 80% of obese people did infact just reduce the amount they ate then the minority who have genuine psychology issues would I'm sure be able to access the correct support and be taken seriously.

I totally agree.

People just dont want to take responsibility for their own actions. They simply cannot be arsed, and don't seem to care or give a toss about the associated health risks.

Being dangerously obese has become accepted in the UK, and I can't understand why. Clothing sizes are pandering to how increasingly larger we are becoming as a nation, which is dangerously enabling.

The gov needs to go hard on tv adverts tackling obesity & promoting a healthier lifestyle.

However, there's only so much a government can do, and only so much you can encourage someone to try and lose weight, it comes down to the individual and their choices.

Too many people see themselves as some sort of victim nowadays, and refuse to take personal responsibility.

Well said, bakereld and Getoffyourhighhorse.
This drive to present obesity as something beyond our control is worrying and dangerous. It really has to be challenged. I have been obese myself (bmi 35), twice in fact, the last period of obesity lasted 10 years. It is difficult and no doubt some people do need professional help and support, but ultimately everyone is responsible for what they eat, and what they feed their dependent children.