What do you think about paying overweight or obese people to lose weight?
When I first heard this suggestion, my instinctive reaction was that it was a terrible approach and wouldn’t work.
But, as the saying goes, “money talks” – even when the financial incentives are quite modest. Because research shows it really works.
A recent study found that paying people to meet their weight loss goals resulted in twice as much weight loss over the course of a year as traditional approaches.
The cash prizes on offer weren’t huge – they ranged from £250 to £360 – but they made a big impact.
A recent study found that paying people to meet their weight loss goals resulted in twice as much weight loss over the course of a year as traditional approaches
And they are tiny compared to the cost to the NHS of treating complications of obesity, such as type 2 diabetes, joint replacements and cancer.
The study, conducted by the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, recruited 668 overweight men and women living in households earning around US$40,000 (£32,600) a year, which is about the median household income in the UK.
The volunteers were asked to follow a standard weight loss program that included attending classes where they were given personalized meal plans, healthy food sharing tips and a scale.
They were also given portable exercise machines, digital scales and food diaries so they could track how active they were, how much they weighed and what they ate.
They were then divided into three groups: one only had the standard weight loss program; a second group was told that they would also receive $440 (about 360 pounds) if they met a goal of losing 5 percent of their body weight over six months.
(For someone around age 14, that would mean losing 10 pounds—usually enough to significantly lower blood pressure, blood lipids, and your risk of type 2 diabetes.)
The third group received smaller amounts, $60 (£49) per month, for regularly attending weight loss counseling classes (where they were taught, for example, strategies to maintain lifestyle changes) and an additional $30 (£24.50) per month for weighing herself at least three times a week and keeps her food diary.
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After six months, nearly half (49 percent) of the 360-pound participants had achieved their goal of losing at least 5 percent of their body weight—an average of 10 pounds (4.4 kg).
While some regained their weight after completing the program, 41 percent were still at least 5 percent lighter a year later than when the study began.
On average, they lost twice as much weight as the group that received no financial incentive.
Interestingly, the group that did best were those who were paid, for example, to weigh themselves at least three times a week.
Although their initial weight loss was more modest, after one year 42 percent managed to reach the 5 percent goal and remained down an average of 10.6 pounds.
Researchers believe this may be because rewarding people for learning how to lose weight may be more effective in the long term than rewarding them for achieving one-time weight loss goals.
The team behind the study now wants to see if offering the occasional cash “reinforcer” keeps people going in the long run.
Offering money to obese people to lose weight is controversial, but probably not as controversial as offering people money for a Covid vaccine.
And yet it can also be effective. For example, in Ohio in the US, people were told in 2021 that they would have a chance to win $1 million in a state lottery if they got the push.
The winner, Abbigail Bugenske, a 22-year-old mechanical engineer, was visibly excited, but so were government officials, as this unusual approach convinced an estimated 100,000 more people to get vaccinated.
New York did even better with a “Vax & Scratch” promotion that offered raffles with a potential grand prize of $5 million to adults who had received the shot, making the vaccine protection a price of about $20 dollars (GBP 16) per person. increased.
You might wonder (I did) whether offering prizes will undermine people’s confidence in vaccines, because if they’re so brilliant, why bribe people to take them?
But a recent study in the journal Nature found that offering financial incentives had no impact on how safe they kept vaccines, and once they had their first shot, they were happy with a second and third booster without to be paid.
I suspect there will be more as another pandemic strikes.
But while I don’t see the NHS offering people money to shed pounds, that doesn’t mean the government couldn’t do more to change people’s behavior through more subtle financial incentives such as subsidizing healthy food and taxing unhealthy food to influence.
The introduction of a sugar tax in 2018 led to a 35 per cent fall in the amount of sugar sold in soft drinks in the UK (135,500 tonnes per year to 87,600) and 5,000 new cases of obesity per year among girls, according to a recent study by Cambridge University.
It doesn’t seem to have made a big difference in obesity among boys, possibly because they watch more TV and see more junk food ads like hamburgers and sports drinks, and as a result tend to consume more calories.
As well as restrictions on junk food advertising aimed at children (which were originally due to be introduced this month but scrapped by the government), I would like to see more free school meals and a wider use of financial incentives to help people who are struggling to be able to afford healthier food.
Even if you are one of those who can easily stay slim, you should be concerned about our growing waistlines, as the costs associated with obesity (at least 6 billion by 2050) must be paid by all of us.
When I was young, I could fall asleep almost anywhere: I spent nights in phone booths, on train platforms, even in a cemetery
When I was little, I could fall asleep almost anywhere.
I spent nights arguing in phone booths, on train platforms and even in a cemetery.
But these days I wake up at least once a night; and when I do, my brain is buzzing with thoughts.
Now, Stanford University researchers have discovered that as mice age, brain cells that keep us awake go into overdrive, making sleep restless — but flupirtine, a pain reliever, can prevent this and help older mice regain their youthful sleep patterns.
Flupirtine has yet to be approved as a sleep aid, but once it is, I might give it a try.
Why are Labradors so obsessed with food? Well, one study found they often carry a gene mutation that some people share that makes them really hungry – which also means they’re highly trainable, as they’re willing to do almost anything for food. Now, a new study has found that German shepherds and border collies have a gene found in people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that may explain their hyperactivity and impulsivity.
So why do King Charles Spaniels like me instinctively seek circles? Scientists will no doubt soon identify the gene for this as well.
Good news: A glass of red wine can boost gut health
I just finished Dry January and although I cracked a few times I mostly stuck with it.
did I feel better Not really, and now I enjoy a glass of red wine once in a while, not just for the taste, but because it might be good for my gut microbes.
We have known for years that red wine is more beneficial than other forms of alcohol. Take a 2015 study in Israel that asked people with type 2 diabetes to drink a medium-sized glass of red, white wine or water with dinner. After two years, the red wine drinkers significantly improved cholesterol levels and sleep quality; Some also had better control of their blood sugar levels.
I just finished Dry January and although I cracked a few times I mostly stuck with it
And it was no accident – a study in Spain showed that drinking red wine can improve your body’s response to insulin, meaning you can clear sugar from your blood more quickly.
I recently explored this in my Just One Thing podcast series. I spoke with Tim Spector, a professor of genetics at King’s College London, who in 2019 led a study into the effects of drinking beer, cider, red wine, white wine or spirits on the gut microbes of nearly 3,000 people – with red wine drinkers suffer lower rates of obesity and “bad” cholesterol.
Professor Spector says this could be because they also had healthier, more diverse gut microbes. That’s because red wine contains polyphenols, plant compounds that are good for our microbes; Red wine has three times more than white wine.
But moderation is key: If you regularly drink more than a glass or two of red wine, you’re missing out on potential health benefits.
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Crystal Leahy is an author and health journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a background in health and wellness, Crystal has a passion for helping people live their best lives through healthy habits and lifestyles.
