New data insights from health and life insurer, Vitality, highlight the importance of understanding the relationship between GLP-1 medications and exercise, signalling significant implications for patient health and NHS expenditure.
Initial findings being released today show that people who use GLP-1 medication and combine it with moderate exercise reduce their in-hospital costs by 63% within a year. Moderate exercise, being the equivalent of at least 5,000 steps a day, three or more times a week, is considered largely achievable by most. Even without exercise, taking GLP-1 medications reduces people’s in-hospital costs by 33% on average after treatment.
These reductions in in-hospital costs are attributed to fewer and shorter hospital stays, as well as less severe complications and lower morbidity. The results suggest that if everyone classified as clinically obese in the UK went on GLP-1 medications and adopted this approach of moderate exercise, individual health and patient outcomes would improve, and, in turn, the NHS could save as much as £17bn a year.
Commenting on the data insights, Dr Katie Tryon, Deputy CEO of Vitality, said: “Combining weight loss drugs with even moderate exercise could make a substantial difference to the long-term impact on a person’s health. This has the potential to not only improve patient outcomes but also to deliver substantial savings for the NHS and health systems globally. Obesity and diabetes are a major proportion of the cost burden in our health system, but by integrating medical innovation with sustainable lifestyle changes, we can dramatically reduce this. It is essential that future guidance supports patients in changing their lifestyle when on these drugs, as maintaining healthy habits alongside treatment will ensure benefits are sustained well beyond the period of medication.”
Key findings also reveal that 13% of people who exercised before commencing a GLP-1 medication regime ceased regular physical activity after starting treatment. This could potentially leave them in a worse position than before starting the drugs, quickly regaining the lost weight when they stop taking them. This underscores the need for further investigation into the behavioural impacts of GLP-1 use and the importance of lifestyle and behavioural programmes to accompany medication use.
In addition, the data showed emerging evidence that individuals who increase their activity levels while taking GLP-1 drugs are likely to maintain a greater percentage reduction in their baseline weight when they stop taking them, potentially further contributing to improved health outcomes.
These findings point to the need for further research to fully understand the link between GLP-1 medications and exercise, and for this to be used to inform future guidance for both healthcare professionals and patients when prescribing the drugs, across the globe.
