• July 28, 2020

Losing weight, the key to beating COVID-19

LONDON July 28: Obesity is one of the biggest health crises the UK faces, with almost 63% of adults in England being overweight or living with obesity. A recent review undertaken by Public Health England has revealed that being overweight puts you at greater risk of serious illness or death from Covid-19.

The announcement comes ahead of the government’s plans to curb obesity.

Professor Susan Jebb from the University of Oxford has stated that men from South Asian backgrounds are at an increased risk from Covid-19 and therefore the additional harm of being overweight could be fatal.

Without accounting for comorbidities or obesity, people of Indian backgrounds were found to be at a 10-50% higher risk of death in comparison to White British.

Adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 29.9 are considered to be overweight whereas those with a BMI of 30 to 39.9 are classified as obese. Men with a waist of 94cm or more and women with a waist of 80cm or more are also more likely to develop obesity-related problems.

In order to combat the fight against obesity, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced certain measures such as:

Ban on TV and online adverts for food high in fat, sugar and salt before 9pm
End of deals like ‘buy one get one free’ on unhealthy food high in salt, sugar and fat Calories to be displayed on menus to help people make healthier choices when eating out – while alcoholic drinks could soon have to list hidden ‘liquid calories’

As the government continues to respond to the global pandemic, they have set out a comprehensive package of measures to help people take control of their life by losing weight and adopting a healthier lifestyle.

The plan will be launched alongside the ‘Better Health’ campaign which will use a range of tools and apps providing advice on how to reduce the waistline.

During these unprecedented times, those from the Asian community are urged to take extra precaution against the coronavirus as a change in lifestyle could be the deciding factor between life or death.

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