Experts call for UK four-day week as study links long work hours to obesity
Those who work longer hours are more likely to be obese and cutting how much time you spend working could help you keep the weight off, research suggests,International research presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul compared working patterns and obesity prevalence for 33 OECD countries from 1990 to 2022,The study found that countries such as the US, Mexico and Colombia, which have longer annual working hours, also had higher obesity rates, even though northern European countries consume more energy and fat on average than those in Latin America,Reducing annual working hours by 1% was associated with a 0,16% decrease in obesity rates.
The authors concluded that lack of time for exercise and work-related stress could explain why those who clock off last are more likely to pile the weight on.Dr Pradeepa Korale-Gedara of the University of Queensland, Australia, the lead author of the study, said increased stress raised levels of the hormone cortisol, causing people to store more fat, while working in jobs where they were unable to burn energy.“When people have a more balanced life, they have a better life,” she said.“They have less stress, they can focus on more nutritious food and engage in more physical activities.”Although researchers warn the study does not prove causation and income levels of different countries could also be a factor, it has prompted experts to renew calls for a four-day week in the UK.
About 200 companies have adopted the working pattern for their employees already.And South Cambridgeshire district council, whose Liberal Democrat administration won 43 out of 45 seats in the local elections last week, has introduced a four-day week for all staff.Office for National Statistics data shows more than 200,000 workers have switched to a four-day week since the Covid-19 pandemic.James Reeves, a campaign manager at the 4 Day Week Foundation, said: “A four-day week on full pay could slash Britain’s obesity levels by giving millions the time they need to ditch bad habits and make healthier choices.“It’s essential that local and national governments seriously consider the role that a shorter working week can play in improving the health of our communities.
The nine-to-five, five-day working week is 100 years old and we’re long overdue an update.”Dr Rita Fontinha, a psychologist at the University of Reading, who published a review of evidence on the four-day week last year and has been funded by the Portuguese government to pilot a four-day working week there, said obesity was closely related to time poverty.“If you work two jobs or long hours, you simply do not have the energy to cook and it becomes easier to just buy something packaged or processed.“A four-day week or different forms of working-time reduction could be associated with better choices in terms of food, exercise and sleep to contribute to healthier societies.”But ministers remain opposed to four-day weeks.
A government spokesperson said: “This government will not mandate a four-day work week for five days’ pay.But through the Employment Rights Act, we’re making it easier for flexible working requests to be accepted.”
Capacity of lifts not kept up with UK obesity levels, study shows
Lifts are no longer big enough to fit the UK’s larger citizens, according to researchers.A study of maximum capacity in elevators in the UK and mainland Europe found lifts have not kept up with increasing obesity levels, raising concerns about safety and equity.The research, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Turkey, used photos of weight limits for 112 lifts manufactured between 1972 and 2024 in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Finland.Prof Nick Finer, the president and chair of the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organisation and lead author of the study, compared the average maximum weight allowance (total weight allowance divided by maximum passenger limits) with the average adult weight in the year the lift was manufactured.The research found that despite adults’ continued growing weight, total lift limits have not increased since about 2004
‘Unprecedented’ global effort gives new name to polycystic ovary syndrome – and new hope to millions of women
After more than a decade of global consultation, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) – a condition that affects one in eight women – has been renamed.The hormonal disorder, estimated to affect 170 million women worldwide, will now be known as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).The name change was published in the Lancet and announced at the European Congress of Endocrinology in Prague on Tuesday, after 14 years of collaboration between international societies and patient groups across six continents.The renaming was spearheaded by the endocrinologist Prof Helena Teede, the director of Melbourne’s Monash Centre for Health Research and Implementation. For too long, experts including Teede say, the misleading nature of the term “polycystic” in PCOS contributed to delayed diagnosis and inadequate medical care
‘I still want to scream’: the loneliness and confusion of living with PMOS
The name polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) needed to change. It was inaccurate and it was worsening outcomes for people with the condition.It fuelled misconceptions that it is primarily a gynaecological condition, without enough focus on the whole-body effects across cardio-metabolic, mental, skin and reproductive health.A US National Institute of Health Forum described the name PCOS as a “distraction and impediment to progress … causing confusion and a barrier to effective education of clinicians and communication with the public and research funders”.On Tuesday, the new name of the disease was revealed to be polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), and was published in the Lancet
What is PCOS, what are the symptoms and treatment, and why is it being renamed PMOS?
Polycystic ovary syndrome is being relabelled polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome to correct the misconception that it is solely a gynaecological disease that creates ovarian cysts. Here’s what you need to know about the condition ‘Unprecedented’ global effort gives new name to polycystic ovary syndrome – and new hope to millions of women ‘I still want to scream’: the loneliness and confusion of living with PMOSWith polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) now being rebadged as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), we take a look at the condition and explore why experts have decided it is time for a new name.It’s a multifaceted condition that can affect women differently but symptoms tend to begin in late adolescence. As the NHS notes, these can include irregular or no periods, irregular ovulation, extra facial or body hair, acne, weight gain and hair loss from the head.“At different stages of your life you present in different ways,” says Prof Colin Duncan of the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland
More than 6,000 children treated at obesity clinics in England, figures show
More than 6,000 children living with obesity, including hundreds as young as four, have required treatment at specialist NHS weight-loss clinics, new figures reveal.NHS England data, published for the first time, underlines the scale of the growing childhood obesity crisis.Since the first Complications from Excess Weight clinic (CEW) opened in 2021, the NHS has treated 6,497 children and teenagers. Of these, 423 were four years old, 1,088 were aged between five and eight, 1,791 were aged nine to 12 and 3,137 were aged between 13 and 17. The age of a further 58 is unknown
Consuming fruit and a cup of coffee a day can halve risk of unhealthy cell ageing, study suggests
Eating fruit and drinking a cup of coffee a day could halve the risk of cells ageing unhealthily, research suggests.Foods rich in polyphenols such as berries, apples, coffee, cocoa and tea are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but a new study has found they are also associated with a lower risk of short telomeres, the “ends” or caps of DNA that, when shorter, increase the risk of cell death and unhealthy ageing.Researchers from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, measured the length of telomeres in samples from more than 1,700 adults in 2008 and also in 2015 and assessed participants’ total polyphenol consumption.The study, presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, found that compared with those who consumed the least polyphenols, those with the highest amounts in their diets had a 52% lower risk of short telomeres.Moderate coffee consumption (up to one cup per day) was associated with a 26% lower risk of short telomeres compared with non-consumers, while four to five servings of fruit a day was also linked to a lower risk, with participants consuming the most fruit having a 29% lower risk of having short telomeres compared with those who ate the least
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