Prof Naveed Sattar

Who Prof Naveed Sattar is

Naveed Sattar is Professor of Cardiometabolic Medicine in the School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health at the University of Glasgow, where he has held a professorial chair since 2005. He is also an Honorary Consultant in Metabolic Medicine at Glasgow Royal Infirmary, where he co-leads a cardiovascular disease prevention clinic. His research focuses on the causes, prevention and management of diabetes, obesity and heart disease, encompassing epidemiology, biomarkers, randomised trials and national guidelines. He has contributed to trials including DIRECT, UPBEAT and EUROFIT, and to multiple pharmaceutical trials of newer diabetes and weight-loss agents. In November 2023 he was appointed Chair of the UK Government's Obesity Healthcare Goals Programme, tasked with accelerating medical innovation to improve long-term outcomes for people living with obesity. He is frequently quoted in UK media on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, obesity policy and cardiovascular risk.

References for this biography

1. 1.Professor Naveed Sattar – University of Glasgow Staff Profile — Current role title, school, office address (G12 8TA), career history, ORCID
2. 2.Professor Naveed Sattar appointed UK Government Obesity Mission Chair — Appointment as UK Government Obesity Healthcare Goals Programme Chair in November 2023
3. 3.Professor Naveed Sattar awarded the Diabetes UK 2023 Banting Memorial Lecture — Banting Memorial Lecture award and its significance as the highest Diabetes UK honour
4. 4.Professor Naveed Sattar awarded the Edwin Bierman Award – University of Glasgow — Edwin Bierman Award; Honorary Consultant role at Glasgow Royal Infirmary; fellowship credentials
5. 5.Professor Naveed Sattar – Association for the Study of Obesity — Publication count (1,300+ papers, 230K+ citations); trial contributions; Associate Editor roles
6. 6.Professor Naveed Sattar – EASD e-Learning — Guideline committee roles including SIGN (as Chair) and ESC 2023 Task Force
7. 7.Wegovy announcement a 'major turning point in the battle against obesity' – ITV News — Example of press quoting Sattar on GLP-1/Wegovy obesity policy (April 2026)

Notable achievements

• Awarded the Diabetes UK 2023 Banting Memorial Lecture – the highest award bestowed by Diabetes UK – in recognition of his outstanding contribution to research into diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Source ↗
• Appointed Chair of the UK Government's Obesity Healthcare Goals Programme in November 2023, leading efforts to accelerate pharmaceutical and digital innovations for obesity in partnership with NIHR. Source ↗
• Awarded the Edwin Bierman Award by the American Diabetes Association in honour of outstanding scientific achievement in the prevention and treatment of macrovascular complications. Source ↗
• Has published over 1,300 papers and has been cited more than 230,000 times (Google Scholar), placing him in the top 1% of the field in clinical medicine. Source ↗
• Chaired the SIGN obesity and CVD prevention guideline committee, and served on the ESC Task Force developing 2023 guidelines on diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Source ↗

What Prof Naveed Sattar has said

• “Our findings clearly show how the serious complications associated with type 2 diabetes rise sharply over time as the often common combination in patients of obesity, abnormal blood fats, high blood pressure and higher blood sugar damages blood vessels, and vital organs.”

  Professor at the University of Glasgow · Diabetes · 28 Sept 2026 · Heart and Kidney Problems in Type 2 Diabetes Patients Increase with Time ↗

• “Regardless of definitions, it's clear that current obesity levels pose major challenges especially in high-income countries like the UK, with rising weight levels underscoring the urgent need for more effective strategies to support healthier living.”

  Professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · Almost 70% of US adults would be deemed obese based on new definition, study finds ↗

• “the findings are not a surprise, as excess weight is a well-established driver of elevated blood pressure and impaired glucose control”

  Professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · People who stop using Mounjaro suffer reversal of health benefits, says study ↗

• “English‑speaking nations are doing particularly poorly, with the UK now among the countries with the highest obesity levels worldwide. Understanding what has worked in those settings is crucial as it could help shape more effective public health strategies for the UK.”

  Professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · Obesity rates in some countries levelling off or potentially falling, study finds ↗

• “Expanding the range of effective treatments is important in helping people sustainably reduce caloric intakes within an increasingly obesogenic environment. With obesity rates in the UK now at very high levels, and associated with substantial multimorbidity, additional treatment options for sustained weight loss are greatly needed.”

  Professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow · Public health & prevention · 10 Sept 2026 · Wegovy weight-loss pills to be available for patients in UK to buy ↗

• “This is very good news and stems directly from high-quality trial evidence. We now have medicines that not only reduce heart attacks, strokes and peripheral arterial disease but also simultaneously lead to meaningful weight loss – which in turn lowers the risk of many weight‑related conditions.”

  professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · NHS England to offer weight-loss drugs to 1.2m people to reduce risk of heart attacks and strokes ↗

• “Caffeine does a multitude of things, some which may be beneficial, some which may be harmful, and the net effect can never be estimated until you do a randomised trial.”

  Professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow · Mental health · 27 Aug 2026 · A couple of teas or coffees a day could lower risk of dementia, scientists say ↗

• “Overall, this work represents a thoughtful attempt to move towards more holistic risk prediction across multiple obesity‑related conditions. But substantial further development and validation will be required before such an approach can be translated into routine clinical practice.”

  professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow · Hospital discharge / bed-blocking · 27 Aug 2026 · UK researchers develop tool to identify people most at risk of obesity-related diseases ↗

• “These are important findings. The more effective oral medicines we have to help people with type 2 diabetes lose weight and keep it off, the better.”

  professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow · Diabetes · 27 Aug 2026 · New GLP-1 pill helps patients lose up to 8% of body weight, trial shows ↗

• “In the meantime, people prescribed these drugs should be supported to increase their physical activity, as this can help maintain muscle mass in a physiological way. Importantly, activity should also be framed as something enjoyable and sustainable, rather than purely as a medical add‑on.”

  cardiometabolic medicine expert at the University of Glasgow · Diabetes · 27 Aug 2026 · Muscle growth drug ‘could reduce loss of lean tissue’ when using slimming jabs ↗

Where Prof Naveed Sattar has been quoted

1. England’s Obesity Gap Widenspracticebusiness.co.uk · 29 Sept 2026
2. Heart and Kidney Problems in Type 2 Diabetes Patients Increase with Timeinsideprecisionmedicine.com · 28 Sept 2026
3. Almost 70% of US adults would be deemed obese based on new definition, study findstheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
4. People who stop using Mounjaro suffer reversal of health benefits, says studytheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
5. Obesity rates in some countries levelling off or potentially falling, study findstheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
6. Wegovy weight-loss pills to be available for patients in UK to buytheguardian.com · 10 Sept 2026
7. NHS England to offer weight-loss drugs to 1.2m people to reduce risk of heart attacks and strokestheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
8. A couple of teas or coffees a day could lower risk of dementia, scientists saytheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
9. UK researchers develop tool to identify people most at risk of obesity-related diseasestheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
10. New GLP-1 pill helps patients lose up to 8% of body weight, trial showstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026
11. Muscle growth drug ‘could reduce loss of lean tissue’ when using slimming jabstheguardian.com · 27 Aug 2026

Related media coverage

Recent UK press coverage of their topics — not necessarily citing them directly.

• Severe Type 1 Diabetes Onset Linked to Later ComplicationsEMJ
• Tazbentetol shows retinal neuroprotection potential in diabetic mouse modelDrug Target Review
• UK start-up takes on Americans with cheaper diabetes devicesThe Times

Contact & links

• Staff pagehttps://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/cardiovascularmetabolic/staff/naveedsattar/
• ORCIDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-1604-2593published here ↗
• LinkedInhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/naveed-sattar-12653041

Organisational contact points only, each taken from a page the organisation publishes itself. No personal or direct contact details are held or shown.