Matt Hancock’s two-stone weight loss may have saved from the worst effects of coronavirus, doc says

MATT Hancock’s two-stone weight loss might have saved him from coronavirus, a doctor has said.

Mr Hancock was able to bounce back and get back to work after only a week being sick with the deadly virus, while the PM needed to be hospitalised.

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GP David Unwin has revealed Mr Hancock told him he’d slimmed down by “cutting back on sugary and starchy foods”, according to the MailOnline.

It is understood that Mr Hancock lost around two stone around six or seven years ago when he was training for a horse race.

He did this by cutting down on bread and other foods high in sugar and starch.

The Health Secretary put some of the weight back on since then but lost about 10 pounds during the election in November and December last year.

Dr Unwin said losing weight may have helped the Health Secretary recover so quickly after being infected with COVID-19 in April.

Dr Unwin said: “I recently met our Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, who’s had first-hand experience of the benefits of a healthy diet.

“He told me then that he’d lost two stone (going from 13st 7 to 11st7) by cutting back on sugary and starchy foods. I cannot help but wonder if that may have helped him recover from Covid so rapidly?”

Mr Hancock, Boris Johnson and Chief medical officer Chris Whitty were all sick with coronavirus, but Mr Hancock and Professor Whitty, who both have a slim build, were able to return to work after a week – once the virus was no longer infectious.

But Mr Johnson, who has struggled with his weight, needed to be taken into intensive care and given oxygen as his body fought the virus.

The PM is now preparing to launch a “much more interventionist” war on obesity after the experience.

He was spotted going for his first jog since beating coronavirus today.

When asked for advice on how to beat coronavirus, Mr Johnson is reported to have said “don’t be a fatty in your fifties.”

Research has found that obesity doubles the risk of needing hospital treatment for coronavirus – as well as increasing the risk of other deadly conditions such as heart disease and cancer.

Mr Johnson weighed 17 and a half stone at the time he was admitted to hospital.

He is understood to have lost a stone since coming out of hospital a month ago.

The Government’s blueprint for easing lockdown restrictions said ministers would invest more in schemes to get people moving and “empower people to live healthier and more active lives.”

It said: “This will involve expanding the infrastructure for active travel (cycling and walking) and expanding health screening services, especially through the NHS Health Check programme, which is currently under review.”