Health chat Highlights of Series 5 with Dr Anthony Leeds

Long version for Bittertruth Series 5 Spring/Summer 2025

Episode 12 (Episode 6 of part 2) for release on 13th June 2025
Title: Highlights of Series 5
Sami Malik in conversation with Dr Leeds

In this conversation Sami Malik asked Dr Leeds what he thought was the highlight in this series and in response Leeds said that there were highlights in all the conversations but the outstanding new highlight was Prof Mike Lean’s description of the study of weight loss in people with Long Covid, overweight and/or with obesity.  He said that Prof Lean was clear to say that while weight loss achieved with the same dietary programme as was used for the DiRECT trial delivered an improvement of the most troublesome symptom (fatigue in more than half the participants) the impressive results could not be interpreted as a cure for long Covid, rather as a way to improve the symptoms of overweight and obesity linked to long Covid in these people. Fewer missed hours of work were reported in the diet treated group and this first study of its kind raised the possibility of the ‘diabetes remission soups and shakes’ diet being used to help those affected by Long Covid (see the interview at this link ).  Dr Leeds added that the series of three conversations with Prof Shahrad Taheri covered some really important topics  – the first being about ‘diabetes in North Africa and the Middle East’ can be found at this link.

Asked if there were any global themes that linked all the topics that were covered Leeds noted that a globally ageing population and relatively lower numbers of young workers supporting greater numbers of ageing people with multiple age-related conditions meant that public health and medical interventions had to be proven to be acceptable, evidence-based, effective in the long term and cost effective. The high global prevalence of obesity and overweight indicated that reducing body weight was a common theme of preventing and treating obesity-related conditions. Resources for healthcare had finite limits so cost effectiveness was a key variable.

When asked what would be his priority if adequate resources and influence were to be available he said that he would wish to roll out programmes to achieve diabetes remission in the countries with the highest rates for overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes in each region, thus in Pakistan in South-Asia and Malaysia in South-East Asia (where a diabetes remission programme is just about to start).

Viewers had expressed an interest in hearing more about dementia and infertility and Leeds hoped to include these in series six along with conversations about other eye diseases.
Anthony R Leeds 9th June 2025