New research finds combining exercise with weight loss drugs could save the NHS nearly £17bn a year
13 February 2026
The impact of exercise with weight loss drugs
- Combining GLP-1 medications with moderate exercise could deliver major NHS savings and greater sustained weight loss for patients.
- GLP-1 use is associated with a 33% reduction in ‘in-hospital’ costs after treatment in those who don’t exercise – however, when combined with even moderate exercise (equivalent of at least 5,000 steps a day three times a week) this rises to 63%.
- At the same time initial insights show 13% of GLP-1 users who start taking the drug also stop exercising, potentially worsening health outcomes.
- These findings highlight the importance of further research into the link between GLP-1 medications and exercise.
New data insights from health and life insurer, Vitality, highlight the importance of understanding the relationship between GLP-1 medications and exercise, signalling significant implications for patient health and NHS expenditure.
Initial findings being released today show that people who use GLP-1 medication and combine it with moderate exercise reduce their in-hospital costs by 63% within a year. Moderate exercise, being the equivalent of at least 5,000 steps a day, three or more times a week, is considered largely achievable by most. Even without exercise, taking GLP-1 medications reduces people’s in-hospital costs by 33% on average after treatment.
These reductions in in-hospital costs are attributed to fewer and shorter hospital stays, as well as less severe complications and lower morbidity. The results suggest that if everyone classified as clinically obese in the UK went on GLP-1 medications and adopted this approach of moderate exercise, individual health and patient outcomes would improve, and, in turn, the NHS could save as much as £17bn a year.
Commenting on the data insights, Dr Katie Tryon, Deputy CEO of Vitality said: “Combining weight loss drugs with even moderate exercise could make a substantial difference to the long-term impact on a person’s health. This has the potential to not only improve patient outcomes, but also to deliver substantial savings for the NHS and health systems globally. Obesity and diabetes are a major proportion of the cost burden in our health system, but by integrating medical innovation with sustainable lifestyle changes, we can dramatically reduce this. It is essential that future guidance supports patients in changing their lifestyle when on these drugs, as maintaining healthy habits alongside treatment will ensure benefits are sustained well beyond the period of medication.”
Key findings also reveal that 13% of people who exercised before commencing a GLP-1 medication regime ceased regular physical activity after starting treatment. This could potentially leave them in a worse position than before starting the drugs, quickly regaining the lost weight when they stop taking them. This underscores the need for further investigation into the behavioural impacts of GLP-1 use, and the importance of lifestyle and behavioural programmes to accompany medication use.
In addition, the data showed emerging evidence that individuals who increase their activity levels while taking GLP-1 drugs are likely to maintain a greater percentage reduction in their baseline weight when they stop taking them, potentially further contributing to improved health outcomes.
These findings point to the need for further research to fully understand the link between GLP-1 medications and exercise, and for this to be used to inform future guidance for both healthcare professionals and patients when prescribing the drugs, across the globe.
Notes to editors
These findings are based on a treatment group with causal analysis of 91,975 members and the control group is 1,069,710, as of September 2025. It is based on the total impact one year after the start of taking the medication (regardless of when treatment is stopped, but on an average length of treatment of 5.4. months).
The longitudinal study examines the causal relationship between the use of GLP-1s alone and the combined use of GLP-1s with physical activity, as well as their impact on in-hospital costs one year after treatment.
£17bn considers in-hospital admission reduction per person, and applies that to the total estimated obese population in the UK and US (number of people), multiplied by the average healthcare cost per capita on in-hospital admissions.
Vitality recently announced a partnership with Google. Its Vitality AI platform, developed with Google, uses cutting-edge tools to deliver insights to members, and to make people healthier.
The dataset was based on a longitudinal view of member data and a comprehensive view of health status; capturing chronic condition counts, diagnoses, and both inpatient and outpatient healthcare utilisation. This level of detail is made possible by the structure and design of the medical scheme. While the analysis did not look separately at specific subgroups of Discovery Health members, it adjusted for BMI, health status and other confounding factors.
The health-status variables, demographic and behavioural data, serve as critical confounders or adjustment variables in the analysis. By accounting for these factors, we can correct for potential confounding i.e., variables that may influence both the treatment and the outcome. These variables are measured at a baseline period or before we observe the member’s treatment period. Confounding variables that were adjusted for: Age, Gender, Health policy duration, Vitality policy duration, Hypertension flag, Total chronic condition count, Total In-hospital cost (before treatment), Total physical activity points earned (before treatment), BMI, Weight, Total Claims.