Weight loss injections and potential muscle loss
Photo:
JENS KALAENE
The weight loss injection, Wegovy, arrived in New Zealand - on prescription - with great fanfare only a couple of months ago. But already there are calls for the medication to come with a warning over the need for exercise - specifically resistance training - to save muscle mass. Medsafe advises the drug, which isn't funded by Pharmac, should be accompanied by increased physical activity.
But Exercise New Zealand says that activity needs to specifically challenge muscle and bones to make sure people don't become more frail. Endrocrinologist and diabetes expert, Associate Professor, Rosemary Hall, says the chance of muscle reduction during weight loss is widely recognised. Susie is joined by Associate Professor, Rosemary Hall and the Chief Executive of Exercise New Zealand is Richard Beddie.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Nurses to strike for better nurse-to-patient ratios
Healthcare workers hold placards at a picket line in Wellington as nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants strike nationwide. Photo: RNZ/Samuel Rillstone Nurses union members want better nurse-to-patient ratios and a return to hiring every graduate, as they prepare to strike for two days in early September. Health New Zealand said it was deeply concerned by the strike plans, which it said would cause the postponement of more than 2200 planned procedures, 3600 first specialist appointments and 8000 follow-up appointments. Nurses Organisation chief executive Paul Goulter said their Te Whatu Ora members voted strongly to go on strike, after a solution could not be found through bargaining. The strike action is planned to take place from 7am to 11pm on Tuesday, 2 September and Thursday, 4 September. "I think it very clearly points to nurses being fed up with the government's inability to resource the system properly to ensure patient safety," Goulter said. Nurses were stretched and burnt out, and the union was asking the health agency to return to the bargaining table with a commitment to hire more staff when staffing models required them, to hire every nursing graduate, and "starting the work on nurse-patient ratios that are enforceable". Nurses last went on strike in late July , with similar demands. Health NZ said it was happy to return to the bargaining table, and was committed to finding a solution. It said it had not yet received a formal notice of the strike from the union, only an informal notification. Health NZ chief executive Dale Bramley said it would have a "major impact" on thousands of New Zealander - many of whom had already waited a long time for appointments or surgeries. "We want to do our very best for our nurses and we think we've put a very fair offer on the table," Bramley said. He said they were already working to improve nurse-patient ratios. The number of hospital beds across the country had gone up by 100 to 200, while the number of full-time equivalent nurse had increased by more than 3000 in the past two years. Turnover among nursing staff had dropped from 13.3 percent to 8.1 percent, and the current vacancy rate was 3.6 percent. "At any one time in our pipeline of recruitment we have up to 2000 nurses in our pipeline," Bramley said. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
Auckland mental health patient worried about future after Segar House closes
Segar House. Photo: Google Maps Street View A patient at an Auckland mental health programme that's closing its doors next month says she's feeling anxious about her uncertain future. Rauaroha Segar House , a publicly funded intensive service for people who have long-standing or chronic problems, ceases on 19 September. Heloise Cantin-Gilmore said her past four months on the programme were life-changing and there were no other realistic treatment options available to her. News of the closure, delivered in mid-July, hit hard. "The effect this is having on me is having a great sense of anxiety, fear, grief, loss - mostly around whether I'm going to be alone again, essentially, dealing with my mental health issues," she said. "There's just a great sense of loss happening at Segar House." There are nine patients and eight staff working at the inner-city service, which involves group and individual therapy for people who haven't worked out in other programmes. Health NZ said patient numbers are too low and clinicians would be better utilised elsewhere. There are no other similar programmes in the North Island and Cantin-Gilmore said patients were told they could return to other community mental health services, or look further afield where there were similar programmes. "They said the other option was that we move to Dunedin, which isn't really a true option for any of us," she said. "All of our livelihoods are here. Most of us have jobs. Our families are here. To offer to move to Dunedin as a substitute for a service we're getting here in Auckland is just kind of ridiculous, frankly." She didn't know where she'd go next. "When they [Health NZ] told us that it was closing, they said that they would be in contact with us to arrange a meeting time with us, individually, to come up with some sort of plan about whether we could continue in the community mental health services or whether we'd go a different route," she said. "None of us have heard from them since." Cantin-Gilmore said there was an enormous sense of sadness. "Not only is there grief for me losing access to the programme, there's grief for potential future patients who could have access the programme, but also the clinicians themselves," Cantin-Gilmore said. "They're losing their jobs. They're losing their community." Her father, Gus Gilmore, said the clinical team was supportive, but the uncertainty was taking a toll on his daughter. "It's been terrible. Heloise was really improving since she started the programme four months ago," he said. "We hadn't seen that type of improvement in her general and mental health. Since [the closure was confirmed] she has gone backwards." Health NZ group director of operations for Auckland Dr Michael Shepherd said individual transition plans for patients were getting worked through. "Patients will be able to access individual therapy, multi-disciplinary team reviews, key worker support and group work," Shepherd said. "There will be a different group of professionals involved in their care and differences in the types of group therapy available. The location for their individual and group therapy will change." Health NZ was working with staff in redeployment options. Labour's mental health spokeswoman Ingrid Leary is critical of government ministers for not intervening to stop the closure. She said it was a political decision as officials looked to save money. "This is specialised treatment and from the people I've spoken to, the families and the patients, they cannot access the level of care they desperately need and they're very worried about that." Minister for mental health Matt Doocey said the closure decision was made by Health NZ. He said he spoke to its chief executive Dale Bramley and had assurance each patient would have a transition plan and their needs would continue to be met. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

RNZ News
14 hours ago
- RNZ News
Patient at closing Auckland mental health programme anxious about future
Auckland Region about 1 hour ago A patient at an Auckland mental health programme that will close its doors next month says she's feeling anxious about the future. Rauaroha Segar House, a publicly funded intensive service for people who have long-standing or chronic problems, stops its services on September the 19th. Heloise Cantin-Gilmore told Checkpoint her time there's been life-changing and there are no other realistic treatment options available to her. Jimmy Ellingham reports.