Speaking on Obesity and Health Equity at the House of Lords

This week marked a significant and memorable milestone, as Professor Toni-Vidal Puig was invited to speak at the House of Lords as a guest of Baroness Manzila Uddin, in partnership with the Global Muslim Weight Management Group. Being asked to contribute to an expert panel within such a historic setting was both an honour and a humbling experience.

What stood out most during the discussion was the shared sense of purpose in the room. Clinicians, scientists, community leaders, and policy voices came together around a clear and powerful principle: obesity care is most effective when it is culturally and faith-aware, while remaining firmly grounded in scientific evidence. The seriousness and mutual respect among participants underscored the importance of collaboration across disciplines and communities.

Why this matters

Obesity and its cardiometabolic complications represent a growing public health challenge across Muslim communities in the UK and globally. This issue is particularly pressing in South Asian Muslim populations, where the risks of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease often emerge at lower body weight and are strongly influenced by visceral fat and metabolic factors.

These concerns closely align with Professor Puig’s own research focus, which emphasises that health risk is not simply a matter of “how much” weight is carried, but where fat is stored, how metabolism adapts, and how biological processes interact with environment, culture, and lived experience. Being invited by the community on the basis that this research is relevant and meaningful was described as genuinely humbling.

A programme with ambition and integrity

The initiative itself left a strong impression. The ethical leadership, the calibre of professionals involved, and the programme’s emphasis on women and children stood out as particular strengths. By focusing on prevention, education, and sustained support early in life, the work has the potential to influence health outcomes across the entire life course.

While the programme is rooted in the UK, its ambition clearly extends further. The aim is not only to improve care within Muslim communities globally, but also to generate learning that can inform broader approaches to public health. Principles such as trust, culturally tailored education, community-based support, and inclusive research are widely applicable and could act as a catalyst for faith-sensitive and community-centred health partnerships far beyond any single group.

A personal commitment

Although not Muslim himself, Professor Puig has expressed a deep commitment to wellbeing, fairness, and equitable health outcomes. His role within this initiative will be to support its development with scientific rigour, helping to ensure that guidance remains evidence-based, credible, and responsive to emerging data. Equally important is the opportunity to learn from the community itself, strengthening the ability of research and practice to serve people better over time.

Gratitude was extended to everyone involved, with special thanks to Nathan Nagel for his leadership of the project, and to Husna Ahmad for closing the discussion with clarity and compassion, highlighting the central role of empathy, community, and timely treatment in addressing obesity and related health challenges.