British workers are sicker than at any time in decades. In 2022, employees missed nearly three out of every 100 hours of work due to illness, the highest level since 2004.
Meanwhile, the number of people forced to leave work due to long-term illnesses has surpassed several records last year and now stands at 2.6 million.
While there's still no consensus on why we're all so much sicker than before, experts say expanding waistlines are likely a factor .
The UK has the third highest proportion of people who are overweight or obese in Europe, according to the latest available OECD data. It is second only to Hungary and Romania.
Appetites that don't match exercise are so widespread that two of them According to the National Health Service (NHS), three people in England struggled with excess weight in 2021.
But after decades of rising obesity such Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy and diabetes drugs like Ozempic promise a possible step forward.< /p>
Such semaglutide drugs, which mimic the hormone released in the gut after a meal to make the body feel full, are already in such demand that shortages are expected for years.
Can 'miracle' drugs help solve the crisis illnesses?
So thinks Jim Mellon, a British businessman who has invested heavily in startups seeking to extend life in recent years and co-founded the Longevity Forum.
“Many comorbidities or illnesses that people have for a very long period are associated with excess weight – diabetes, kidney problems and so on.
“These drugs, which are now expensive, but over time the course dramatically will come down in price could be an absolute game-changer in terms of reducing the number of long-term patients,” he says.
“Just to put it in perspective, a couple of years from now. Previously, the best-selling drug in the history of the world was a drug called Humira. Its sales were around $14 billion (£11 billion) a year.
“Next year we expect semaglutides, which are miracle drugs for obesity but also have many other positive health benefits , will sell more than $100 billion, more than six times the peak sales of any other drug.”
It recently emerged that senior government officials, including former Health Secretary Steve Barclay, had discussed benefit applicant profiling with drugmaker Novo Nordisk, according to the Observer.
The Danish pharmaceutical giant, Europe's most valuable company, allegedly told officials that Department for Work and Pensions data could “help identify those most likely to return to the labor market.”
The Department of Health has denied it has any such plans and said its ministers are meeting with a wide range of stakeholders with differing views.
But a significant reduction in obesity and the number of people considered overweight will undoubtedly benefit the economy .
A 2010 study found that obese workers took, on average, four more sick days per year than other colleagues.
“There is a link between overweight, obesity and disease, so any intervention that reduces the likelihood of being overweight and obese will help,” says Amanda Daly, professor of behavioral medicine at Loughborough University.
“We know that These drugs are effective in reducing obesity, certainly in the relatively short to medium term, and then that should have an impact on sick leave,” she adds.
Navid Sattar, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, agrees.< /p>
“Increasing waist circumference definitely leads to people having less energy and more days without illness, because we know that excess weight leads to many diseases and increases fatigue,” he says.
“ Any intervention that helps people lose weight sustainably by controlling their appetite can help them live healthier, happier and more productive lives – and in turn help the economy.”
Former health secretary Lord Bethell, who is now chairman of Business for Health, also points to the failure to tackle obesity.
He says: “The reason these drugs are really interesting is because that public health measures have not worked as well as we would like, in part because we are not really committed to them. Very few people whose BMI goes over 25 or 30 go back down.”
The Office for Budget Responsibility has warned that fewer people at work due to long-term illness poses a threat to the economy. This places greater demands on the social security system and may also contribute to higher wages and resulting inflation as employers struggle to find enough workers.
Over the summer, the financial regulator said inaction on the health sector could lead to borrowing rising by as much as £21.2 billion by 2027-28.
It also highlighted how rising obesity poses a significant risk to health care spending healthcare, given its association with a wide range of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, some cancers and osteoarthritis.
Obesity “continues a long-term upward trend and is rising faster in the UK than in most other countries in the 21st century countries with developed economies,” the report says.
The staggering rise in chronic illness since the pandemic is largely driven by musculoskeletal problems such as back and neck pain and, increasingly, poor mental health.
ONS data shows that among those unable to work due to long-term illness, 1.35 million said they had a musculoskeletal condition.
Since 2019, back and neck problems among this group have increased by 29%, and leg and foot pain have increased by the same amount.
“If you carry a lot of excess weight, which can lead to significant weight gain weight, stress on joints and lower back. People often have lower back and knee pain, and this can make work very difficult,” says Daly.
Poor mental health is also a concern for many Britons who have left the labor market early.
Poor mental health is also a concern for many Britons who left the labor market early.
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As with the general population, depression and anxiety were the most common health problems they encountered.
Although this figure rose 40% from 2019 to 386,000 by 2023, most of the increase came from people reporting it as a secondary health problem.
This suggests that in many cases poor mental health is a factor, but not the main reason for being out of work, but reducing obesity levels may also have benefits in this regard.
“Overweight people may have mental health problems , with the way they feel about themselves and their lives in general. They may find that their functioning becomes more difficult, which can affect their mental health,” says Daley.
But what makes obesity and all its negative externalities so difficult to combat is that it is so intertwined with deprivation, says David Buck. at the Royal Fund.
“The more disadvantaged you are, the more likely you are to be obese or overweight,” he says.
“From “Because of the scale of the obesity problem, we need to not only treat the symptoms, but also look for the root causes,” says Bax.
Obesity rates in England have tripled since 1975 and are already costing the NHS £6.50. billion in corresponding revenues per year.
Sophie Metcalfe from the Institute of Government warns that skinny jabs are not a panacea for Britain's growing waistlines and disease rates. Questions remain about how long people can take the drugs and still benefit, she says.
“This method has the potential to be useful to some extent, but is it enough on its own? The answer may be no. You're not addressing the fundamental cause of the rise in obesity,” she says.
Lord Bethell also points to another drug that showed great promise but failed to live up to the hype.
“There was a time when we thought that Prozac could regulate people's moods and the pressure they feel so well that we could get rid of mental illness forever.”
However, if thin injections can help stop the growth in the waist, they inevitably will benefit the labor market.
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