TACKLING OBESITY

By Dr Helena Liaka, MBBS, MSc

The correlation between obesity and mortality rates from Covid-19 is clear and compelling.

How many times have you tried to lose weight, in order to improve your appearance, health and longevity?

In this day and age, we are surrounded by a plethora of high calorie-density, hyper-palatable foods, with attractive packaging and catchy advertising, making it hard to resist temptation. That doesn’t mean we aren’t trying; the average adult in the UK has tried hundreds of diets during their lifetimes, and two thirds of Britons are reported to be dieting at any one time (Mintel, 2015).

Despite this, the UK has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, with 28.0% of adults in England being obese and a further 36.2% overweight but not obese (UK Parliament, 2021).

Weight loss is not just about vanity; it is well-known and established that obesity greatly increases the risk of strokes, heart disease, diabetes, many cancers and a multitude of other conditions (Hruby & Hu, 2015).

Through regular monthly weigh-ins, doctor reviews, and continuous self-education, we hope to lead our clients to healthier and happier lives.

On top of this, a report published just last week by the World Obesity Federation (WOF) found that the Covid-19 death rate is ten times higher in countries in which more than half the adults had a body mass index (BMI) of over 25 – the point at which normal weight tips into overweight (WOF, 2021).

Countries with high percentages of obesity, such as the UK and the US, have the highest Covid-19 mortality rates, the landmark report has revealed, and according to the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO) “The correlation between obesity and mortality rates from Covid-19 is clear and compelling” .

After age, weight has been shown to be the second most important factor in determining death rates from Covid-19. With these shocking findings in mind, it is clear that more needs to be done by governments and medical and pharmaceutical industries for primary prevention of obesity.

At Vie Aesthetics, we aim not only to improve people’s appearance and self-confidence; but also their health, longevity and quality of life, on a background of solid scientific and medical research.

For this reason, we offer the doctor-led National Medical Weight Loss Program (NMWLP); a program that provides education to our clients surrounding calories and lifestyle, as well as incorporating prescribed medications, such as Semaglutide, which has recently been covered by outlets such as the BBC, as marking the start of a “new era” in tackling obesity (BBC, 2021).

You may feel like you know what you need to do to lose weight; the old adage “eat less, move more” comes to mind. However, how can this be possible in an environment in which fatty and high-calorie density foods are always close at hand? Especially during high-stress periods (like in the middle of a pandemic!)

Semaglutide, and other medications like it, have been proven to be very effective in clients who have the will to change, but find that their hunger is just too difficult to suppress in the long-term. For example, a recent study showed that semaglutide led to 14.9% weight loss reduction in clinically obese participants, compared to 2.4% reduction in the placebo groups (Wilding, 2021). The Vie NMWLP provides our clients with consistent guidance and advice, on a thoroughly researched evidence-base. We recognise that losing weight and keeping it off requires long-term education, lifestyle change, and occasionally, medication such as appetite suppressants to assist in the process. Through regular monthly weigh-ins and doctor reviews, and continuous self-education, we hope to lead our clients to healthier and happier lives.

Dr Helena Liaka, (MBBS, IBSC), Medical Lead at Vie Aesthetics

IF YOU ARE READY TO MAKE A CHANGE TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH AND QUALITY OF LIFE, PLEASE CONTACT US AT 07899763578 TO BOOK A CONSULTATION.

Dr Helena Liaka, (MBBS, IBSC) is the Medical Lead of the Vie Aesthetics NMWL Programme. She is a doctor in the NHS working in London hospitals. Dr Helena is also a Harley-Street trained aesthetic doctor, who provides medical slimming and aesthetic treatments in our clinics in Harley Street and in Rayleigh. She has a special interest in nutrition and fitness. Dr Liakas is one of the brave heroes who has worked on the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic.