One of the key challenges highlighted by the pandemic is the need to tackle rising obesity levels. The data show that obese patients are more likely to suffer more from covid and, sadly, die from it. Since the change to nutritional guidelines in the 1980s, and the displacement of real food with more processed food, obesity rates have soared. It is vital that we get on top of this problem. Those who are obese are more likely to develop long term conditions including cancer, heart disease, renal problems and diabetes. Just as important are the mental health issues arising from poor body image and feelings of low self worth. A third of the population in the UK is obese; a tripling since 1980 when the latest nutritional advice was introduced. The problem has been described by experts as multi-factorial and complex. In part 2b I set out a strategy based on 15 years of personal research into this issue. The current advice is largely based on the now discredited research by Ancel Keys in the United States. My strategy is based on what I have read from a wide range of authors who are not affiliated with either the food industry or the pharmaceutical industry. I believe that by tacking obesity in a serious way we can end the misery caused by obesity, improve the quality of people‚’s lives and reduce the soaring budget of the NHS – obesity costs about ¬£6 billion per year to treat.
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