Jack Birch, who researches public health and obesity at Newcastle University, says there is growing academic interest in how men and women approach using weight-loss drugs differently. Traditionally, he says, men “almost need a bit of a scare” to start trying to shed the pounds, seeing it as something private and shunning the more social approach some women prefer, like slimming clubs.
But keeping weight-loss jabs secret can lead to problems, he says. Medical professionals need to know how people are using the jabs and managing any side effects and “men are generally less likely to seek medical advice, or leave it longer”.
Side effects can include nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhoea and, more rarely, gallbladder or kidney problems and depression. The drugs are not recommended in pregnancy and NHS guidance, external outlines other health considerations.
GP Paul Evans works in Gateshead, an area he says has a “massive”, longstanding problem with weight, and where more than a third of adults are classed as obese, external.
Evans believes increasing numbers of his male patients are taking weight-loss drugs but are reluctant to admit it, even to medical professionals.
“I do wonder whether there’s that shame that actually resorting to something pharmaceutical to assist you is somehow wrong, and the proper ‘male’ way to do it is to basically just work yourself harder in the gym,” he says.
