MRC Epidemiology Unit
In this article originally published in The Conversation, Dr Amy Ahern and Professor Giles Yeo discuss why is it so difficult to keep the weight off after you’ve lost it. It is often said that 95% of weight-loss measures don’t work. Only, it’s not true. Advances in behavioural treatments (such as cognitive behavioural therapy) for […]
That’s a WRAP: assessing the long term impact of a commercial weight management programme
A study released today in Lancet Public Health examines the long term effect of 12 and 52 week commercial weight management programmes. The results show that the 52 week programme was more effective over two years. After five years some weight loss was maintained, and over a lifetime both programmes are likely to be cost-saving […]
Opinion: Increasing community weight loss programme commissioning won’t be cheap, but could pay dividends
Community weight loss programmes, such as Weight Watchers, are effective at helping people to lose weight, our latest research shows. We found that a three-month programme helps people lose weight, but a one-year programme helps people lose more weight for longer and reduces their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Wider availability of these programmes […]
Extending weight loss programmes can help people who are overweight keep more weight off, and is cost-effective
Offering a year-long programme of weight loss classes could prevent an additional 1,786 cases of disease (hypertension, diabetes, heart disease) for every 100,000 people compared to a 12-week programme. Extending NHS weight loss programmes from one session per week for 12-weeks to one session per week for a year helped people who are overweight to […]