Weight-loss injections could be the answer to record unemployment
British workers are more sick than ever before. In 2022, nearly three out of every 100 hours worked were missed due to illness. This is the highest percentage since 2004.
The number of people who were forced to leave work due to long-term illness has now reached 2.6 million.
Experts say that while there is no consensus as to why we all seem sicker now than before, expanding waistlines may be a contributing factor.
According to the latest OECD statistics, the UK is Europe’s third largest country in terms of overweight and obese people. Only Hungary and Romania are higher.
According to NHS, two thirds of people in England will struggle with obesity by 2021 due to unmatched appetite and lack of exercise.
Weight-loss injections like Wegovy, and diabetes medications such as Ozempic could be the answer to decades of obesity.
Semaglutide medications, which mimic the hormone released by the stomach after eating, and trick the body to feel full, , are in such high demand that shortages will continue for many years.
Could “miracle drugs” help to solve the sickness crisis
Jim Mellon is one person who believes this. A British businessman, Jim Mellon has in recent years invested heavily in startups that aim to increase lifespans. He also co-founded The Longevity Forum.
“There are many comorbidities, or illnesses, that are associated with being overweight. These include diabetes and kidney problems.
He says that “these drugs, which may be expensive at the moment, but will drop in price in time, could be a game changer in reducing long-term sickness.”
“To put things in perspective, until a few years ago, the most popular drug in history was called Humira. It sold about $14bn per year (£11bn).
Next year, we expect semaglutides to be sold at more than $100bn. This is six times the sales peak of any other drug.
According to The Observer, it was revealed that Novo Nordisk and Novo Nordisk executives, including the former health secretary Steve Barclay discussed profiling of benefit claimants.
According to reports, the Danish pharmaceutical company, the most valuable in Europe told officials that the Department for Work and Pensions’ data could “help identify those most likely to return into the workforce”.
The Department of Health denied that it had any such plans, and stated that its ministers met with a variety of stakeholders who have different opinions.
Undoubtedly, a reduction in obesity rates and the number people deemed overweight will have positive effects on the economy.
In 2010, a study found that obese workers take four sick days more on average per year than their colleagues.
Amanda Daley is a professor at Loughborough University who specializes in behavioural medicine. She says that there’s a connection between obesity and illness, and any intervention aimed at reducing the likelihood of being overweight or obese will be helpful.
She adds, “We know that the drugs reduce obesity in a relatively short-to-medium term. This should impact sick days.”
Naveed Sattar is a professor of metabolism medicine at the University of Glasgow.
He says that “rising waist circumferences contribute to people feeling less energetic and taking more sick days as excess weight is known to fuel many illnesses and increase fatigue.”
“Any intervention that helps people lose weight by controlling their appetites could help live healthier, happier and productive lives and help the economy.”
The former health minister Lord Bethell who is now the chairman of Business for Health also highlights the failure to combat obesity so far.
He says: “The public health interventions we’ve tried haven’t worked as well as they could have, in part because we weren’t really committed.” Few people with a BMI over 25 or 30 will ever see it drop.
Office for Budget Responsibility warns that the economic impact of fewer workers due to long-term illness is significant. This can lead to increased pressure on the welfare system, and also increase wages.
Fiscal watchdog warned in the summer of the risk that inactivity due to health could increase borrowing by up to £21.2bn by 2027-2028.
The report also highlighted that obesity is a major risk factor for health expenditures, as it has been linked to many conditions, including diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
It said that obesity has “continued to rise in the UK and is now higher than most advanced economies in the 21st century”.
Since the pandemic, long-term illness has increased dramatically. This is largely due to musculoskeletal problems like neck and back pain, and increasingly poor mental health.
ONS figures show that 1.35 million people who are unable to work due to long-term illness have a musculoskeletal condition.
Since 2019, back and neck pain has increased by 29pc, while leg and foot pain also has increased.
If you carry a lot more weight, it can cause a lot stress to your joints and lower spine. Daley says that many people have knee pain or lower back pain, which can make it difficult to work.
Many Britons who left the workforce early also suffer from poor mental health.
Depression and anxiety are the most common health problems they experience, just like the general population.
This number has increased by 40% since 2019, to 386,000 in 2023. The majority of this increase is due to people reporting it as secondary health issues.
In many cases, poor mental health may be a contributing factor to their unemployment. However, reducing obesity rates could also help in this area.
People who are overweight can have problems with their mental health and how they feel about their lives. Daley says that they may find it more difficult to function, which could impact their mental health.
David Buck, King’s Fund, says that obesity and its many negative effects are so difficult to combat because they are so closely linked with deprivation.
He says that the more you’re disadvantaged, the more likely it is you will be overweight or obese.
Bucks says that because of the size of the obesity problem, it is important to treat the root causes of the disease as well as the symptoms.
Since 1975, obesity rates in England have tripled. The NHS has already spent £6.5bn on related admissions each year.
Sophie Metcalfe, from the Institute for Government, warns that slim jabs will not be a panacea for Britain’s rising obesity and sickness rate. She says that there are still questions about how long people should take the drug to reap the benefits.
It has the potential to be helpful to a certain extent, but is that enough? Answer: It may not be. “You are not solving fundamental causes of obesity”, she says.
Lord Bethell points out another drug which was marketed with great promise but did not live up to it.
There was a period when we believed that Prozac could be so effective at regulating the moods of people and the pressures that they felt, that we would be able to get rid mental illness for good.
If skinny jabs are able to help curb the increase in waistlines they will bring many benefits to the labor market.