Key Summary
- Whitty said the weight loss drugs are "transformational" for people who need them, but this should be "a very small minority".
- But letting people become obese, and then medicate them for life would not be the right course to take.
- Whitty said GLP-1s or fat jabs are good drugs, but they have side effects and stoppage could lead to weight gain.
England's chief medical officer Prof Sir Chris Whitty has cautioned against relying too much on weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro to treat obesity in the country.
While delivering the annual Medical Journalists’ Association lecture, Whitty said the better course of action would be to curb junk food advertising and make food healthier to prevent obesity.
He said the weight loss drugs are "transformational" for people who need them, but this should be "a very small minority".
But letting people become obese and then medicating them for life would not be the right course to take.
“Does anyone in this group believe that the correct answer is to allow obesity to rise because of pretty aggressive marketing of obesogenic foods to children and then stick them on GLP-1 agonists at the age of 18? I think it is shocking if that is where we end up," he said.
Whitty said GLP-1s or fat jabs are good drugs, but stopping them could lead to weight regain, and it has some unpleasant side effects.
They could also mean that people end up in older age with less muscle mass and more fat than before they began taking them, he added.
Studies have indicated that they increase the risk of acute pancreatitis, sudden sight loss and unexpected pregnancy among women using contraception.
It is estimated that 1.6 million people in the country have tried weight loss drugs in the past year.
Drawing a comparison with France, he said in the early 1990s, both countries had similar levels of obesity.
But obesity levels in France have been fairly stable for over three decades, while in the UK, around two-thirds of adults are now overweight or obese.
He said the food available on high streets in places like Wigan or Blackpool was "completely different" to equivalent towns in France.
The top doctor said it was not the fault of people if they are presented with "wall to wall" junk food. Whitty said it is possible to turn this around and promote healthy, tasty and affordable food.
