NHS guidelines could deny weight-loss jabs to millions

Millions of people could be denied access to treatments such as weight-loss jabs because of flawed NHS guidance, a major think tank has warned.

- REBECCA THOMAS HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

King’s Fund senior analyst Danielle Jefferies said Body Mass Index (BMI) measures, which are used to determine obesity levels, are primarily based on research for white European or American people.

That means they do not account for the inherited ethnic differences of people from Black, Asian, brown, dual heritage or indigenous ethnicities - differences that can mean some groups are more likely to develop some health conditions.

The 2021 census for England and Wales showed 1.3 million people listed themselves as “other” for their ethnic group, while 1.7 million people listed themselves in “mixed or multiple” categories.

Ms Jefferies said that meant the current BMI thresholds “potentially do not fully work for up to 3 million people in the UK”, meaning they could miss out on treatments because they have a lower BMI than is required for some treatments.

The warning comes as the NHS prepares to roll out access to weight-loss jab Mounjaro, to 250,000 patients a year over the next 12 years.