The number of obese people in the world has tripled in the past 50 years – costing health services across the globe trillions of dollars.
Recent research shows people who are obese are twice as likely as those of a healthy weight to be hospitalized with COVID-19. They are also 78% more likely to end up in intensive care and 50% more likely to die from the virus.
We speak to Barry Popkin, professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina, who explains why COVID-19 is more dangerous to people if they are obese and what the scientists can do to address the issue [03:32].
We also chat to Jane Ogden, professor of health psychology at the University of Surrey. She explains how genetics, society and changing work practices contribute to obesity and what can be done to reverse people’s expanding waistlines. [09:21].
Finally, we talk to Morag Dunbar, who recently shed 50kg, much of it during lockdown. She explains why she started to overeat, what made her stop and what’s behind her rapid and impressive weight loss. [15:17].