Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Health benefits of weight loss, south Asians focus group

Health benefits of weight loss, south Asians focus group

THE Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) this January launched a new Better Health campaign revealing six major health benefits of losing excess weight and encourage south Asian adults to live a healthier lifestyle.

It is estimated that over 56 per cent of south Asian adults in the UK are overweight, putting them at greater risk of developing serious diseases linked with obesity such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and up to 12 types of cancer.


By losing just 5 per cent of body weight one can reduce the chance of heart disease and could make all the difference in preventing treatable heart conditions.

The six benefits that could have a lasting impact on a person’s health by dropping

weight, include:

1. Reduced risk of common cancers (including cancers of the colon, oesophagus,

kidney and breast)

2. Reduced risk of high blood pressure

3. Reduced risk of heart disease

4. Reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes

5. Less strain from chronic back and joint pain 

6. Reduced risk of being hospitalised or becoming seriously ill with Covid-19

GP and TV Doctor Dr Hillary Jones said: “These six benefits highlight the impact of

carrying excess weight, and the range of benefits that can be achieved by reducing your weight. Small changes every day can help you lose weight and feel healthier.

“With Better Health, there are a variety of free NHS endorsed apps, resources and online tools to help people introduce simple changes that will help them eat better and get active this new year, including the NHS Weight Loss Plan, Couch to 5K and Active 10 apps. 

Award-winning dietician Azmina Govindji said: “If you’re overweight, making small,

simple changes to your routine can help cut your risk of becoming seriously ill from conditions, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, which are more prevalent in south Asian communities.

“It also reduces your chances of being hospitalised if you develop Covid-19. The resources from the Better Health campaign provide the support you need to take small steps towards a healthier lifestyle in the new year - whether it’s losing weight, getting more active, or making better food choices.”

Better Health is working in partnership with 16 weight management and physical activity partners who are providing both free and discounted offers. The website also highlights the free local weight management services provided by Local Authorities.

Public Health Minister Maggie Throup said: “The new Better Health campaign focuses on improving adults' health and helping them get to a healthier weight. 

“January is a great time of the year for making resolutions and I hope that people can use this as a kick-start moment to be more active and eat healthier - especially when losing body weight can have such a positive impact on our health, including reducing the chance of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19.”

The six benefits’ list has been created based on evidence cited in the Government’s Obesity Strategy: “Tackling Obesity: Empowering adults and children to live healthier lives”, alongside NHS and additional sources, to provide the public with motivating reasons to eat better and get active in 2022.

More For You

Modi set for UK visit to sign free trade agreement

FILE PHOTO: Keir Starmer (L) with Narendra Modi. (Photo: Getty Images)

Modi set for UK visit to sign free trade agreement

INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to the UK by the end of this month for a visit that could see both sides formally sign the landmark India-UK free trade agreement and explore ways to expand bilateral ties in the defence and security sphere, diplomatic sources said.

Both sides are in the process of finalising the dates for Modi's visit to the country by the end of July or the first part of August, they said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

Rishi Sunak. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak has returned to the banking world as senior adviser at Goldman Sachs group, with plans to donate his salary to the education charity he recently established with his wife Akshata Murty.

The US-headquartered multinational investment bank, where Sunak worked before entering politics, made the announcement on Tuesday (8) after the requisite 12-month period elapsed since the British Indian leader's ministerial term concluded following defeat in the general election on July 4 last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London.

Getty Images

Post Office scandal linked to 13 suicides, says inquiry

Highlights:

 
     
  • Public inquiry finds up to 13 suicides linked to wrongful Post Office prosecutions.
  •  
  • Horizon IT system faults led to false accusations, financial ruin, and imprisonment.
  •  
  • Sir Wyn Williams says Post Office maintained a “fiction” of accurate data despite known faults.

A PUBLIC inquiry has found that up to 13 people may have taken their own lives after being wrongly accused of financial misconduct by the Post Office, in what is now described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK ramps up drought response following driest spring

The EA has begun conducting more compliance checks on high-usage industries

Getty Images

UK ramps up drought response following driest spring since 1893

Key points

  • Spring 2025 was England’s driest and warmest in over 130 years
  • Reservoirs across England only 77% full, compared to 93% average
  • Environment Agency increases monitoring and drought planning
  • North-west England officially declared in drought

Water conservation measures stepped up ahead of summer

The UK government has increased efforts to manage water resources after confirming that England experienced its driest and warmest spring since 1893. The Environment Agency (EA) reported that reservoirs were on average only 77% full, significantly lower than the usual 93% for this time of year.

The announcement came after a National Drought Group meeting on Thursday, which reviewed the impact of continued dry weather on crops, canal navigation, and river flows. Poor grass growth and dry soil conditions were noted as threats to food production and livestock feed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Norman Tebbit

Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Former minister, Thatcher ally Norman Tebbit dies at 94

Norman Tebbit, a close ally of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and a former Conservative Party cabinet minister, has died at the age of 94. His son William confirmed the news on Tuesday.

"At 11:15 pm on 7th July, 2025, Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94," William Tebbit said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less