02/04/2026
ESSA is quoted in the Australian Financial Review about the use and access of weight-loss medications in the UK and Australia.
“National peak body Exercise and Sports Science Australia also warned that Australia’s unregulated GLP-1 weight-loss medication boom was leaving patients muscle-depleted and in danger of premature frailty.”
“ESSA said research shows that 15 per cent to 40 per cent of weight lost during treatment may come from lean tissue, including skeletal muscle.”
Australia’s Minister for Health Mark Butler has also backed a cautious, staged rollout of subsidised GLP‑1 treatments.
“There are concerns about funding pressures, inconsistent clinical processes, a lack of standardised models of care, and the limited availability of the wraparound services needed to support sustained weight loss. And global supply issues have also delayed the program’s start.”
In a recent media release, ESSA called on the Federal Government to mandate a referral to an Accredited Exercise Physiologist at the point of prescription.
Read our media release: https://bit.ly/41rUxHf
Or, read the AFR paywalled article: https://bit.ly/4v1V4gD
