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Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Jack Mosley: ‘People who never knew my dad felt like they had lost a friend'
The lucky among us cite our parents as inspirational figures in our lives, but for Dr Jack Mosley, 32, it's a sentiment that is particularly true. His father, the late Dr Michael Mosley, was the nation's trusted authority on how we should be improving our health, sharing his evidence-backed advice through television documentaries, books and his Just One Thing podcast until he died of suspected heatstroke last June while on holiday in Greece. Weight loss was a theme that ran through his projects – from playing the guinea pig for intermittent fasting and ingesting tapeworms in a bid to lose fat, to writing books that popularised the 5:2 and Fast 800 diets, which helped the masses shift the scales. Now, seven years after becoming a doctor and a year on from his father's death, his son Jack, the only one of his four children to become a doctor, is continuing to follow in his father's footsteps with his book Food Noise. It navigates the new world of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, better known as Wegovy, Ozempic (technically a Type 2 diabetes drug) and Mounjaro. He explores how they work, the risks and benefits, and how to use them safely. 'My dad was clearly a massive inspiration to me,' Jack says. 'He would have written a book on weight loss medications had he not passed away.' The book is dedicated to Michael, whom Jack describes as a 'guiding light'. 'He could see that the GLP-1s could be a massive breakthrough in obesity,' he says. 'We talked about them around the dinner table. He was very excited about them but could see they were a tool in the toolbox to combat obesity, rather than replacing the toolbox altogether.' 'When he passed away, we ourselves as a family didn't really know the scale of how many people he made such a difference to,' Jack says. 'People who never knew him felt like they had lost a friend. I think that was such a testament to how much help he gave to so many people.' Jack spoke to his mother, the GP Dr Clare Bailey Mosley, brothers Alex, 34, and Dan, 30, both management consultants in the City, and sister Kate, 25, a lawyer, about how best to continue his legacy of helping people to improve their health. The book was born out of that discussion. 'One of the ways was to spread his message through Food Noise,' he says. It became a family project – he planned out the chapters with his mum during a packed train journey through Austria, and she contributed 50 recipes for it. 'I thought I couldn't beat the skinny gene' Outside of discussions with his father, Jack had developed his own interest in Britain's obesity crisis and weight loss while studying medicine at Newcastle University, where he wrote his dissertation on diabetes with a particular focus on weight loss maintenance. 'One of the things that most interested me is the fact that a poor diet – now the number-one risk factor for early death worldwide – is at the heart of so many chronic diseases,' he says. Then, while working as a junior doctor, the naturally slim-built Jack experienced first hand how easy it was to pile on weight. He gained 2st 5lb (15kg) in his first year working in a hospital, bringing his weight to 15st 11lb (100kg), which he puts down to stress, over-zealous snacking habits and a lack of exercise. 'I thought I couldn't beat the skinny gene, but it turns out that I could put on weight much more easily than I thought,' he says. 'I was really stressed, as I was trying to work out my place in the hospital – no amount of medical school can teach you what it's actually like to work as a junior doctor. 'The other thing was that I had a long commute in the car. I was driving over an hour there and sometimes more than an hour back home. I got into the habit of munching on sweets in the car. Like my dad, I have a sweet tooth.' Haribos were a particular vice, as was snacking on chocolate generously gifted by patients and feasting on a family-sized bag of Doritos with salsa on the sofa, which he could get through 'in half an hour'. 'Then, I'd be having these beige lunches with my colleagues – hospital canteens are not known for their good food,' he says. 'I managed to get my first two fillings,' Jack says. 'My fiancée is a dentist, so I wasn't too impressed by that.' However, he shed the weight quickly after he settled into his job, returned to planning his meals more carefully, started exercising regularly and banned himself from buying large packets of sweets. 'I know I'll just eat the whole thing in an hour, so I'll buy sweets sometimes but a smaller pack,' he adds. Obesity crisis 'is not a collapse in willpower' While he is now a healthy weight, Jack is in the minority. More than half the population (64 per cent) are now overweight or obese. 'In the 1960s, 1 or 2 per cent of people in the UK were living with obesity – now it is 30 per cent,' Jack notes. 'This is not a collapse in willpower; there has to be something going on in the environment for this to happen.' Instead, it's a result of the dramatic change in how we're exposed to food on a daily basis. There has been an explosion in the mass manufacturing of cheap, highly calorific and highly palatable food; snacking (unheard of in the 1960s) has become the norm; and there's a fast food outlet on seemingly every street, as Jack details in the book. 'A lot of people do have good intentions to stick to a healthy diet, but in this food environment, that can be so easily derailed,' he says. 'We're surrounded by foods that are designed to be over-eaten. They're designed to reach the bliss point, where you have this perfect combination of sugar, salt, starchy carbs, fat and flavourings that just sends our brains haywire. 'A lot of these foods are actually really addictive and they light up the pleasure centres in our brain in a similar way that smoking or alcohol do.' The weight-loss jabs silencing 'food noise' The term 'food noise' has gained popularity against this backdrop of the obesity crisis and the rise of weight-loss drugs, which work by effectively 'muting' our desire to be constantly eating. 'Food noise is not a scientific term,' Jack notes. 'It refers to your cravings, your internal food monologue. It's that constant chatter about food. It can be that voice that's telling you to grab that extra slice of chocolate cake or packet of crisps, sometimes even when you're not hungry.' While some people rarely 'hear' food noise, others live with constant thoughts about their next meal, imagining the taste of food and wanting to eat, he says. While food noise is key to our survival – it tells us when we're hungry and need to eat for fuel – it is also the driving force behind overeating, he explains. 'Weight-loss drugs brought the term to prominence because they are so effective at silencing, or at least quietening, that food noise, because they work not just by reducing your appetite but also reducing your cravings,' he says. He notes that some users have reported not only being drawn to healthier foods but feeling nauseated at the thought of consuming alcohol or their favourite sugary, fatty food. 'I like to look at these drugs like noise-cancelling headphones, so you put them on, you can go about your day, you can ignore the siren call of processed junk,' he says. 'But when you stop the medication, this all comes racing back, so it's really important that you get the right nutritional strategies to quieten that food naturally.' 'I adopt a diet-first approach,' he says. While taking the drugs, and after coming off of them, he recommends following the Mediterranean diet, including plenty of vegetables, protein and fermented food, and exercising regularly, particularly strength-based workouts to maintain and increase muscle mass. 'I think that these medications are for people who are living with obesity and potentially obesity-related diseases,' Jack notes. 'People who are regarded as more of a healthy weight should not be taking these drugs. They're not a cosmetic drug and they're not a drug to get you 'beach body ready'.' Treating obesity on the front line Jack has now been a doctor for seven years, starting off in A&E in the north-west of England, and then taking on emergency units in Melbourne and the Australian Outback, before returning to the UK to work as a GP registrar, a role that sees many patients enter the treatment room because of weight-related conditions. 'There is a huge amount of disease related to obesity, and we see them all the time,' he says. 'A lot of primary care is treating these diseases before they become raging infernos.' Heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, cancer, obstructive sleep apnoea and dementia are just some of the conditions that are being fuelled by Britain's bulging waistline. 'A lot of these diseases are linked to inflammation, which can be as a result of obesity, poor diet and a lack of exercise,' he explains. 'Inflammation in the body is like a smouldering fire that's just slowly damaging your organs and body over time.' 'There has been a rise in colon cancer, especially in younger people and realistically, that is very likely to be tied to the rise in processed junk foods and all this inflammation going on in the body,' Jack adds. 'Many of these diseases can be prevented by following a healthy lifestyle,' he notes. Continuing the legacy Food Noise became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, of which Michael had nine in his lifetime. 'I'm absolutely delighted about that,' Jack says. '[My mother] was so happy, she was really, really pleased, and it's been really nice to be able to work with her on some of this,' he says. Looking forward, he plans to keep working part-time as a GP registrar but has his sights on future books and projects related to how we can be living healthier lives. 'I absolutely loved writing this book,' he says. 'I'm thinking about diet and exercise, and even things like sleep. I think that's something that hasn't had enough focus until more recently, especially within medicine itself. We'll see what the future holds.'
West Australian
10-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Michael Mosley's son Jack gives rare insight into his father almost one year since his tragic death in Greece
The son of beloved British doctor-turned-broadcaster Michael Mosley has remembered him as a 'fantastic family man' who made a difference to 'millions of people's lives' as it nears one year since he tragically died. Mosley went missing for four days during an ill-fated walk while on holidays to the Greek Island of Symi. An exhaustive search on air, land and sea soon followed. Tragically, his body was eventually found on a rocky slope, above a beach on the island. A post-mortem examination revealed he died of 'natural causes' after suffering from heat exhaustion during an ill-fated walk. He was aged just 67. Prior to his death, Mosley gained the affections of millions of viewers for his intelligence and resolve to put his own body on the line for the sake of medical self-experimentation. On Saturday, Mosley's son, Dr Jack Mosley, joined David Woiwod and Sally Bowrey on Weekend Sunrise , where he gave a personal update on himself and his family. 'I'm holding-up ok, I think it's been a really tough time for me and my family,' Mosley said, candidly. 'He was a fantastic man. He was a maverick. He was a master self-experimenter. 'I think he made such a difference to millions of people's lives.' Giving rare insight into family life, Mosely praised his father. 'He was he was a fantastic dad and a and a fantastic family man. 'He's really missed. I remember him as a very fun, caring dad who would always be there for you when you needed him. 'I think he was so great at keeping the family together. 'He would always make sure there was a date in the diary (for a catch up). 'Even when we left home, so that we all got together. 'I think one thing that has happened is, in a way, his death has actually brought us closer together as a family. 'And I think that's something he would have been really happy with.' Now, Jack, a doctor himself trained in emergency medicine, has now released his debut book, Food Noise. The book is about our internal food monologue. He delves into weight loss medication like Ozempic, which has become wildly popular. 'It feels incredible to be able to continue on some of his mission,' Jack said of honouring his father's legacy. 'Food noise, it's that distracting inner voice that tells you to grab that chocolate slice or grab that packet of biscuits or that big bag of crisps, even if you're not necessarily hungry. 'The weight loss drugs are so effective at quietening this noise, I kind of like to think of them as these noise cancelling headphones you put on (to change your habits). 'You go about your life, and you can block out that distracting voice that tells you to grab that processed junk food that you don't always need. 'But you know that food noise does come rushing back with a vengeance when you stop the weight loss medications.' Jack explained he doesn't think weight loss medications are bad. Instead, he believes they aren't the magic bullet they are being sold as to consumers. 'I think a lot of people are using them like a sledgehammer,' he said. 'People are being ramped-up to incredibly high doses of these medications. So, they may be getting more extreme side effects.' Jack said there's four key problems with the drugs, in his opinion. 'Firstly, people may not be getting the most out of them. 'They may not be losing as much weight on them as we see in the studies. 'Secondly, people might be getting some malnutrition. 'So, we've seen in the UK, (pop singer) Robbie Williams developed scurvy on these medications. 'I think thirdly, muscle loss, that was something that was something that my dad was concerned about because it's so important for longevity, for your metabolism and for reducing fragility in later life. 'Finally, when you stop these weight loss medications, unless you've got a plan and a nutritional strategy, then it's likely you will put the weight back on. 'We see people put on two thirds of the weight that they originally lost.'
Perth Now
10-05-2025
- Health
- Perth Now
Michael Mosley's son shares rare insight nearly a year after father's tragic death
The son of beloved British doctor-turned-broadcaster Michael Mosley has remembered him as a 'fantastic family man' who made a difference to 'millions of people's lives' as it nears one year since he tragically died. Mosley went missing for four days during an ill-fated walk while on holidays to the Greek Island of Symi. An exhaustive search on air, land and sea soon followed. Tragically, his body was eventually found on a rocky slope, above a beach on the island. A post-mortem examination revealed he died of 'natural causes' after suffering from heat exhaustion during an ill-fated walk. He was aged just 67. Jack Mosely appeared on Weekend Sunrise on Saturday, speaking about his father. Credit: Seven Prior to his death, Mosley gained the affections of millions of viewers for his intelligence and resolve to put his own body on the line for the sake of medical self-experimentation. On Saturday, Mosley' son, Dr Jack Mosley, joined David Woiwod and Sally Bowrey on Weekend Sunrise, where he gave a personal update on himself and his family. 'I'm holding-up ok, I think it's been a really tough time for me and my family,' Mosley said, candidly. 'He was a fantastic man. He was a maverick. He was a master self-experimenter. 'I think he made such a difference to millions of people's lives.' Giving rare insight into family life, Mosely praised his father. 'He was he was a fantastic dad and a and a fantastic family man. 'He's really missed. I remember him as a very fun, caring dad who would always be there for you when you needed him. 'I think he was so great at keeping the family together. 'He would always make sure there was a date in the diary (for a catch up). 'Even when we left home, so that we all got together. Michael Mosley passed away a nearly ago, after suffering from heat exhaustion during an ill-fated walk. Credit: AAP 'I think one thing that has happened is, in a way, his death has actually brought us closer together as a family. 'And I think that's something he would have been really happy with.' Now, Jack, a doctor himself trained in emergency medicine, has now released his debut book, Food Noise. The book is about our internal food monologue. He delves into weight loss medication like Ozempic, which has become wildly popular. 'It feels incredible to be able to continue on some of his mission,' Jack said of honouring his father's legacy. 'Food noise, it's that distracting inner voice that tells you to grab that chocolate slice or grab that packet of biscuits or that big bag of crisps, even if you're not necessarily hungry. 'The weight loss drugs are so effective at quietening this noise, I kind of like to think of them as these noise cancelling headphones you put on (to change your habits). 'You go about your life, and you can block out that distracting voice that tells you to grab that processed junk food that you don't always need. 'But you know that food noise does come rushing back with a vengeance when you stop the weight loss medications.' Jack explained he doesn't think weight loss medications are bad. Instead, he believes they aren't the magic bullet they are being sold as to consumers. 'I think a lot of people are using them like a sledgehammer,' he said. 'People are being ramped-up to incredibly high doses of these medications. So, they may be getting more extreme side effects.' Jack said there's four key problems with the drugs, in his opinion. 'Firstly, people may not be getting the most out of them. 'They may not be losing as much weight on them as we see in the studies. 'Secondly, people might be getting some malnutrition. 'So, we've seen in the UK, (pop singer) Robbie Williams developed scurvy on these medications. 'I think thirdly, muscle loss, that was something that was something that my dad was concerned about because it's so important for longevity, for your metabolism and for reducing fragility in later life. 'Finally, when you stop these weight loss medications, unless you've got a plan and a nutritional strategy, then it's likely you will put the weight back on. 'We see people put on two thirds of the weight that they originally lost.'
7NEWS
10-05-2025
- Health
- 7NEWS
Michael Mosley's son Jack gives rare insight into his father almost one year since his tragic death in Greece
The son of beloved British doctor-turned-broadcaster Michael Mosley has remembered him as a 'fantastic family man' who made a difference to 'millions of people's lives' as it nears one year since he tragically died. Mosley went missing for four days during an ill-fated walk while on holidays to the Greek Island of Symi. An exhaustive search on air, land and sea soon followed. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Tragically, his body was eventually found on a rocky slope, above a beach on the island. A post-mortem examination revealed he died of 'natural causes' after suffering from heat exhaustion during an ill-fated walk. He was aged just 67. Jack Mosely appeared on Weekend Sunrise on Saturday, speaking about his father. Credit: Seven Prior to his death, Mosley gained the affections of millions of viewers for his intelligence and resolve to put his own body on the line for the sake of medical self-experimentation. On Saturday, Mosley' son, Dr Jack Mosley, joined David Woiwod and Sally Bowrey on Weekend Sunrise, where he gave a personal update on himself and his family. 'I'm holding-up ok, I think it's been a really tough time for me and my family,' Mosley said, candidly. 'He was a fantastic man. He was a maverick. He was a master self-experimenter. 'I think he made such a difference to millions of people's lives.' Giving rare insight into family life, Mosely praised his father. 'He was he was a fantastic dad and a and a fantastic family man. 'He's really missed. I remember him as a very fun, caring dad who would always be there for you when you needed him. 'I think he was so great at keeping the family together. 'He would always make sure there was a date in the diary (for a catch up). 'Even when we left home, so that we all got together. Michael Mosley passed away a nearly ago, after suffering from heat exhaustion during an ill-fated walk. Credit: AAP 'I think one thing that has happened is, in a way, his death has actually brought us closer together as a family. 'And I think that's something he would have been really happy with.' Now, Jack, a doctor himself trained in emergency medicine, has now released his debut book, Food Noise. The book is about our internal food monologue. He delves into weight loss medication like Ozempic, which has become wildly popular. 'It feels incredible to be able to continue on some of his mission,' Jack said of honouring his father's legacy. 'Food noise, it's that distracting inner voice that tells you to grab that chocolate slice or grab that packet of biscuits or that big bag of crisps, even if you're not necessarily hungry. 'The weight loss drugs are so effective at quietening this noise, I kind of like to think of them as these noise cancelling headphones you put on (to change your habits). 'You go about your life, and you can block out that distracting voice that tells you to grab that processed junk food that you don't always need. 'But you know that food noise does come rushing back with a vengeance when you stop the weight loss medications.' Jack explained he doesn't think weight loss medications are bad. Instead, he believes they aren't the magic bullet they are being sold as to consumers. 'I think a lot of people are using them like a sledgehammer,' he said. 'People are being ramped-up to incredibly high doses of these medications. So, they may be getting more extreme side effects.' Jack said there's four key problems with the drugs, in his opinion. 'Firstly, people may not be getting the most out of them. 'They may not be losing as much weight on them as we see in the studies. 'Secondly, people might be getting some malnutrition. 'So, we've seen in the UK, (pop singer) Robbie Williams developed scurvy on these medications. 'I think thirdly, muscle loss, that was something that was something that my dad was concerned about because it's so important for longevity, for your metabolism and for reducing fragility in later life. 'Finally, when you stop these weight loss medications, unless you've got a plan and a nutritional strategy, then it's likely you will put the weight back on. 'We see people put on two thirds of the weight that they originally lost.'
Irish Examiner
02-05-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Some truths about weight-loss injections like Ozempic and Mounjaro
In what feels like the biggest health craze in years, weight loss jabs like semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro) have exploded in popularity. GP registrar Dr Jack Mosley says his father, the late BBC presenter Dr Michael Mosley, had been worried about the potential impact of the newly emerging medications. 'He could see they were a groundbreaking treatment because there's such a long history of all these slightly dodgy pills and potions that they used in the past,' says the 32-year-old. 'But he was still concerned about how they were currently being managed, and the fact that there is a wild west of online pharmacies.' One significant concern is that 'these drugs were designed for people who have a BMI over 30 or women over 27 with an obesity-related disease. These drugs were not made for a quick fix to lose a few kilos', says Mosley. He has just released his first book, Food Noise, on the subject and how to live healthily alongside the drugs. Here's what he wants people to understand about the weight loss medication: They aren't a magic fix: 'They do dramatically reduce your appetite, they reduce your cravings, and which ultimately leads many people to eat less,' says Mosley. 'But I think people just see these drugs as a magic fix. So they take the injection, and they kind of just go along with their lives, and they don't make the lifestyle changes. They don't appreciate them as these powerful drugs they are.' Potential side effects: Mosley says the flip side to losing weight might also include symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation — 'These all occur because of the way it can slow down the bowel.' He adds: 'And I think if people continue to eat how they did before, they'll actually get much more significant side effects, which could lead to poor compliance.' Malnutrition is a risk: According to a famous study in The Lancet, some 50% of people living with obesity in America have some degree of micronutrient deficiency. 'We're overfed and undernourished,' says Mosley. 'People need to make sure they are eating nutritious meals [on weight-loss medication]. 'You may even lose weight on a processed junk food diet [on the drugs] but the problem is, if you're just eating a smaller bowl of chips, you may end up with downstream consequences — some degree of malnutrition.' You might lose muscle: 'The fact that we're eating a lot less can lead to muscle loss — 25% to 40% of the weight people lose in the studies is lean body mass, and a big component of that is muscle. 'Muscle is so important. It's a major predictor of a long lifespan, but also health span,' he says. 'If you want to stay independent in later life, and be able to get about easily and to do things for yourself, it's so important, it reduces your risk of falls. It also sucks up a lot of the sugar in our bloodstream. So is it very protective of diabetes.' Exercise is key: 'Staying active so important while you're on these drugs,' says Mosley, who particularly recommends resistance training. 'This can be as simple as doing it from the comfort of your own home. Find a seven-minute workout online, which may involve a few press-ups and squats. You can just use your own weight or resistance bands. Protecting your muscles is so important when you're on these drugs.' Eat a nutrient-rich diet: Evidence points to a Mediterranean-style diet being a healthy way to eat on weight-loss medication. 'This is a diet rich in olive oil, nuts, seeds, oily fish, fruit and veggies and pulses, like chickpeas and lentils. It's got plenty of protein, healthy fats, fibre and micronutrients. 'If you do follow this kind of more nutritious, filling way of eating, then not only will you feel better, but you may lose more weight while you're on [the drugs] and also, if you do come off them, it should be more sustainable that you'll be able to keep the weight off. Watch for emotional eating: "The weight-loss drugs can reduce our appetite and our cravings, but they're not necessarily going to address things like our emotional hunger,' says Mosley. To tackle it, Mosley advises trying to reduce stress. 'Do things like increasing your exercise — strength training is really good for reducing stress levels. Meditation and mindfulness are proven to be incredibly useful. And I think the final thing is actually changing your diet.' How not to put weight back on afterwards: When people come off the drugs, they are likely to put back on the weight they've lost, he says. 'We know from some of the studies that people can put on two-thirds of the weight they lost within the first year.' He explains: 'I like to think of these drugs as these noise-cancelling headphones. You put them on, your cravings reduce, your appetite reduces and you go about your day not as tempted by all these foods. But then, when you take these noise-cancelling headphones off, that food noise can return with a vengeance. That's why it's so important to make some of these [lifestyle] changes whilst you're taking the medication. 'It's so important to try and control the food environment because I think willpower is somewhat overrated,' he says. Food Noise: How Weight Loss Medications And Smart Nutrition Can Silence Your Cravings by Dr Jack Mosley is published by Short Books, €19
