Are we cancelling free will? A new drug promises to end obesity with a quick weekly jab. Some think it is a huge step forward. Others say it is a bad idea.
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Champions of 'skinny jab' paid by drug maker
Are we cancelling free will? A new drug promises to end obesity with a quick weekly jab. Some think it is a huge step forward. Others say it is a bad idea.
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What's happening?
Throughout time, people who were trying to lose weight had only two ways forward: exercising more, and changing how they eat.
Now, there is a third option: a weekly jabA jab is an injection which is when medicine is put into a person's body using a special needle. that can help you lose up to one fifth of your body weight in just over a year.
The name of the jab is semaglutide. And now, it might be recommended by doctors in Britain's NHSThe National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948..
Some think this is amazing news. ObesityThe medical condition of being very overweight. There are many ways of measuring this, including a BMI of 30 or more. (You can work out your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.) kills millions of people around the world each year, and can cause many health problems.
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Meanwhile, more than half of all the people in the world may be overweight or obese by 2035.
Yet others think semaglutide is a bad idea. Some think that it would mean we do not focus on the things that cause obesity, such as junk foodA term used to describe food that is high in sugar or fat without much nutritional value. and unhealthy eating and exercise habits.
Others say that any tool we have to stop obesity is a good thing. And many experts say that obesity is linked to your genesSections of DNA strands that act as a kind of instruction manual for a human being. There is still a great deal we do not understand about how they work. as well as your lifestyle.
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Are we cancelling free will?
Yes! Everyone must learn how to have healthy eating and exercise habits. This drug could stop people from living in a healthy way.
No! We must stop thinking that obesity is a choice. Many people find that diet and exercise does not work very well. Any tool that can help them is a good thing.
Keywords
Jab - A jab is an injection which is when medicine is put into a person's body using a special needle.
NHS - The National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948.
Obesity - The medical condition of being very overweight. There are many ways of measuring this, including a BMI of 30 or more. (You can work out your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.)
Junk food - A term used to describe food that is high in sugar or fat without much nutritional value.
Genes - Sections of DNA strands that act as a kind of instruction manual for a human being. There is still a great deal we do not understand about how they work.
Champions of ‘skinny jab’ paid by drug maker
False advertising? Manufacturers of the drug spent £21.7 million on an “orchestrated PR campaign". Glossary
Jab - A jab is an injection which is when medicine is put into a person’s body using a special needle.
NHS - The National Health Service, the publicly funded healthcare system in the UK. The NHS was founded in 1948.
Obesity - The medical condition of being very overweight. There are many ways of measuring this, including a BMI of 30 or more. (You can work out your BMI by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared.)
Junk food - A term used to describe food that is high in sugar or fat without much nutritional value.
Genes - Sections of DNA strands that act as a kind of instruction manual for a human being. There is still a great deal we do not understand about how they work.