Research on weight limits of elevators made in UK and Europe 1972-2004 raises concerns over safety and equity

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.

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© Photograph: Cigdem Simsek/Alamy

© Photograph: Cigdem Simsek/Alamy

© Photograph: Cigdem Simsek/Alamy

Countries such as US and Mexico that have longer hours also have higher obesity rates, research finds

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.

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© Photograph: MBI/Alamy

© Photograph: MBI/Alamy

© Photograph: MBI/Alamy

Data tool could help NHS prioritise who gets access to limited weight-loss medication, say scientists

A new tool that can shed light on who is most at risk of obesity-related diseases could help identify people who would benefit most from weight-loss medications, researchers have said.

Recent data suggests about two-thirds of adults in England are overweight or obese – a situation that has caused concern among health experts.

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© Photograph: Kumar Sriskandan/Alamy

© Photograph: Kumar Sriskandan/Alamy

© Photograph: Kumar Sriskandan/Alamy

There's a name for the blah some GLP-1 users are feeling. A loss of interest in foods they once enjoyed or diminished motivation to take part in activities they used to love, like sports or gardening. It's called “Ozempic personality” or anhedonia. As with “Ozempic face” and “Ozempic butt” before it, “Ozempic personality” started not as an official diagnosis but as an encapsulation of the experiences people have shared online. According to anecdotes but not the scientific literature, some users have experienced a kind of emotional flattening. Read More

Trade body warns that changes are likely to drive up costs and push pupils to find somewhere to buy junk food

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A government push to get schoolchildren eating more lentils, pulses and beans at lunch could have a “devastating effect”, making catering services unviable, school meal providers have warned.

Proposals for healthier meals in English schools, which would limit the amount of desserts and reduce “grab-and-go” items such as pizzas and sausage rolls, would pile pressure on an already struggling sector, caterers said.

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© Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

© Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

© Photograph: Ben Birchall/PA

Though welcomed by chefs and campaigners, many schools say the government’s plan to remove ‘grab and go’ options from the menu is a step too far

It is lunchtime at Richard Challoner school, a Catholic comprehensive for boys in New Malden, south-west London. The familiar smell of school lunch is beginning to waft around the corridors.

In the canteen, there is a moment of calm as the kitchen team make final preparations before year 7 descend – a mass of chatting, laughing boys, with backpacks swinging and empty tummies grumbling.

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© Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

© Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

© Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian