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The Global Obesity Epidemic

He absolutely wouldn't have lost weight without the drugs.

In the case of my friend, he readily admits that the excess weight has been acquired over 20+ years due to an over-fondness for food and a lack of exercise (initially because he didn't like it, later because his knees and back hurt too much).

Unless he takes the drugs forever, there is a real risk that the weight loss will be temporary.
Has he been able to start exercising again?

Is even temporary weight loss such a bad thing?

Remembering that weight loss due to diet and exercise changes can be temporary too.
 
I remember reading fairy recently that temporary weight loss is better than being permanently obese, and that even 'yo-yo' dieting isn't as unhealthy as it has been claimed, but I can't find the source.

I doubt that (over-)fondness for food is what makes people fat even though fat people may say so.
I am fond of food and enjoy eating. I think most people are, whether they're slim or obese. But when I'm full, I don't feel like eating anymore.
I think the over in over-fondness is just another way of describing dysregulated appetite, which is why modern weight-loss drugs work.
Gourmets or foodies are more fond of food than most people, but they aren't necessarily obese.

(I watched The Menu a couple of weeks ago. Great film!)
 
Has he been able to start exercising again?

Is even temporary weight loss such a bad thing?

Remembering that weight loss due to diet and exercise changes can be temporary too.
AIUI weight loss followed by weight gain is a bad thing because it usually involves a significant loss of muscle mass in the loss phase which isn't regained when the weight goes back on.

He hasn't restarted exercise, mostly because he doesn't really enjoy it.

You're absolutely right that weight loss due to diet and exercise can be temporary - especially if the lifestyle changes aren't permanent. Relying on a drug to manage appetite risks the lifestyle changes not being permanent when the drug is stopped.
 
AIUI weight loss followed by weight gain is a bad thing because it usually involves a significant loss of muscle mass in the loss phase which isn't regained when the weight goes back on.

He hasn't restarted exercise, mostly because he doesn't really enjoy it.

You're absolutely right that weight loss due to diet and exercise can be temporary - especially if the lifestyle changes aren't permanent. Relying on a drug to manage appetite risks the lifestyle changes not being permanent when the drug is stopped.
You're right about the muscle loss.

Could Ozempic weight loss be saving people's lives, though? If their blood markers are so bad they're put on the drug and they're resolved with weight loss, surely living longer is a plus, even if they have to go back on the drug later?
 
Yes, it probably can save people's lives:
Weight-loss drugs 'slow down the ageing process', scientists suggest (The Guardian, Aug 31, 2024)
Semaglutide – contained in Ozempic and Wegovy – has ‘far-reaching benefits’, with people dying at lower rate from all causes
Weight-loss drugs are poised to revolutionise healthcare by slowing down the ageing process and by allowing people to live for longer and in better health. That is the dramatic message from leading scientists after studies were presented last week at the European Society of Cardiology Conference in London.
Research has already found that semaglutide – also known by the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic – reduced the risk of death in people who were obese or overweight and had cardiovascular disease.
But fresh studies have found that Ozempic has impacts beyond what was originally imagined for the drug. People who took the drug died at a lower rate from all causes, not just from cardiovascular causes, researchers discovered.
 
You're right about the muscle loss.

Could Ozempic weight loss be saving people's lives, though? If their blood markers are so bad they're put on the drug and they're resolved with weight loss, surely living longer is a plus, even if they have to go back on the drug later?
I suppose people could be on Qzempic (or similar drug(s)) for the rest of their lives, either consistently or periodically to support their yo-yo dieting but that's treating the symptoms not the cause IMO. It's certainly very good for the drug companies and I suppose if we accept the premise that a lot of people simply have no control over their weight then it's a way of trying to partially tackle the global obesity epidemic.

It may be saving people's lives, or it could merely be delaying their (obesity related) deaths. If people have long periods of significant improvements to their quality of life then treating the symptom will have a benefit. OTOH if their quality of life doesn't improve significantly and they simply exist for longer dealing with their obesity related illnesses then I'd question the benefit.
 
What a load of meaningless crap.
I just love the speculative nonsense...".I suppose, it could be merely, it may be' etc etc ad nauseum.."
Glutides work to reduce many more risks than just weight and are you taking some sort of moral nose in the air .....oh if they only did this or that they don't really need drugs....??

Tiresome.
I don't really care if you question the benefits....millions of people are benefitting including me who has first hand knowledge ....not speculative.
For me specifically
Drop from 132kg to 108 over 2 years...53 lb with no feeling hungry or forcing my body to "not eat" nor did I diet in any manner. No yoyo diets which I never did.
Instead I eat until I'm satiated which is the norm for humans.
Glutides just reset that satiate level.

I no longer get "hangry" headaches and can go past mealtime without fear of migraine. It is keeping my blood sugar levels under control so I am no longer on the bubble for Type2 but am not diabetic in any form. 5.7 a1c down from 6.9 to 7.1 prediabetic/preglutide.
It costs me $6.70 for 4 weeks dose.
Do I care if it''s lifetime - not in the least ...there are loads of other benefits and the side effects are annoying but the trade off is superb.
I don't need to list all the benefits that have accrued - there is lots of coverage in this thread not the least of which reducing the consumption of fast food and other snacks and the diet industry is being eviscerated.
I'm 77 and expect to be taking other drugs the rest of my life as well, panadol daily, celebrex as needed, reflux blockers, pseudoephredine ....that's it - having eliminated other blood sugar drugs like DuoDart.
Will it extend my life....yes very likely.
Will it improve quality of life - already has.

Quitchyerbellyachin .:mad:
and listen to the people in the field who do know what they are talking about and those like me that have first hand knowledge as a patient.
 
I suppose people could be on Qzempic (or similar drug(s)) for the rest of their lives, either consistently or periodically to support their yo-yo dieting but that's treating the symptoms not the cause IMO. It's certainly very good for the drug companies and I suppose if we accept the premise that a lot of people simply have no control over their weight then it's a way of trying to partially tackle the global obesity epidemic.

It may be saving people's lives, or it could merely be delaying their (obesity related) deaths. If people have long periods of significant improvements to their quality of life then treating the symptom will have a benefit. OTOH if their quality of life doesn't improve significantly and they simply exist for longer dealing with their obesity related illnesses then I'd question the benefit.
All life-saving treatment is delaying someone's inevitable death.

That also goes for peope who have cancer treatment or surgery.

And of course, there are numerous treatments which result in people taking the medicine for the rest of their lives. Diabetes, blood pressure meds, etc...

At least it gives someone the opportunity to then change their lifestyles.

What if someone cannot or will not change their diet and/or get more exercise? (And while we are at it, exercise by itself is a very poor prescription for weight loss. Most people who try to do that end up eating more, or being more sedentary after exercise).

Some people argue that the thing to do is to change the food environment. Good idea? Maybe, but it WON'T happen, and anyone we know who is obese won't be able to make it happen.

So, instead, let them take the meds and lose weight and be able to spend more time with their family.
 
What a load of meaningless crap.
I just love the speculative nonsense...".I suppose, it could be merely, it may be' etc etc ad nauseum.."
Glutides work to reduce many more risks than just weight and are you taking some sort of moral nose in the air .....oh if they only did this or that they don't really need drugs....??

Tiresome.
I don't really care if you question the benefits....millions of people are benefitting including me who has first hand knowledge ....not speculative.
For me specifically
Drop from 132kg to 108 over 2 years...53 lb with no feeling hungry or forcing my body to "not eat" nor did I diet in any manner. No yoyo diets which I never did.
Instead I eat until I'm satiated which is the norm for humans.
Glutides just reset that satiate level.

I no longer get "hangry" headaches and can go past mealtime without fear of migraine. It is keeping my blood sugar levels under control so I am no longer on the bubble for Type2 but am not diabetic in any form. 5.7 a1c down from 6.9 to 7.1 prediabetic/preglutide.
It costs me $6.70 for 4 weeks dose.
Do I care if it''s lifetime - not in the least ...there are loads of other benefits and the side effects are annoying but the trade off is superb.
I don't need to list all the benefits that have accrued - there is lots of coverage in this thread not the least of which reducing the consumption of fast food and other snacks and the diet industry is being eviscerated.
I'm 77 and expect to be taking other drugs the rest of my life as well, panadol daily, celebrex as needed, reflux blockers, pseudoephredine ....that's it - having eliminated other blood sugar drugs like DuoDart.
Will it extend my life....yes very likely.
Will it improve quality of life - already has.

Quitchyerbellyachin .:mad:
and listen to the people in the field who do know what they are talking about and those like me that have first hand knowledge as a patient.
I met a friend of mine who I haven't seen in twenty years. Last time I saw him he was my weight now (about 80kgs). Now he is 130 kgs. I arranged to meet at a restaurant for dinner about a 15 minute walk from his hotel and had no idea what an ordeal he would find it to walk that far.

I walked him back to the hotel with his family, but getting back there, he was sweating, red-faced and panting, and having to stop every few minutes to stretch out. I began to worry if I was going to give him a heart attack just walking and started to wonder if I should have just called a taxi, but we were already underground in the warrens of Osaka.

Today his family are out sightseeing and he is staying back in the hotel watching Netflix, eating crisps and drinking beer because walking around the castles would be too strenuous.

I told him that he needs to get some more exercise, "everyone tells me that!". So then I suggested asking his doctor about semaglutide. I seriously think he needs it.
 
Good idea ...he may still eat crisps but the drug will likely stop him eating a whole bag. It's weird - you can be eating something you really like and there is more to eat and you just stop. Don't want anymore.
I will be adding in exercise just cuz I need to get my strength up for riding motorcycle. What I really need is flexibility exercises.
Not worrying about eating is a big stress releiver.
 
... (And while we are at it, exercise by itself is a very poor prescription for weight loss. Most people who try to do that end up eating more, or being more sedentary after exercise). ...
It's true that exercise has had limited success as a weight-loss remedy, but it seems to have an impact on appetite control, so people don't get obese in the first place. As for the other benefits that exercise has, being more sedentary after exercise doesn't seem to be a problem at all (unless it's ever after):
'Weekend warrior' workouts may be as effective as daily exercise, study shows (TheGuardian, Sep 26, 2024)
Scientists say total amount of physical activity people get is more important than how frequently they train
So it doesn't really work as a couch-potato excuse for not doing any exercise at all. In fact, almost any level of exercise appears to be good for you and better than no exercise. Going from almost no steps to 4,000 steps a day is an immense improvement. That it has to be 10,000 is a myth.
 
It's true that exercise has had limited success as a weight-loss remedy, but it seems to have an impact on appetite control, so people don't get obese in the first place. As for the other benefits that exercise has, being more sedentary after exercise doesn't seem to be a problem at all (unless it's ever after):

So it doesn't really work as a couch-potato excuse for not doing any exercise at all. In fact, almost any level of exercise appears to be good for you and better than no exercise. Going from almost no steps to 4,000 steps a day is an immense improvement. That it has to be 10,000 is a myth.
Oh sure! I absolutely do not want to disparage the importance of exercise. I think it’s highly important for all the things you mention as well as a way to build muscle, manage stress, improve heart health, and probably very protective against cognitive decline such as dementia and Alzheimer’s in later life. I wholeheartedly recommend exercise.

I am making a much narrower point that those who have already gained a lot of weight and want to shed it without making either changes to their diet or use of medication will struggle to shift the weight which in turn can lead to loss of motivation etc…
 
Obesity and Severe Obesity Prevalence in Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023 (CDC, September 2024)
Summary
During August 2021–August 2023, the prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States was 40.3%. Obesity prevalence was highest in adults ages 40–59 compared with other age groups and was lowest in adults with a bachelor’s degree or more compared with those with less education. The prevalence of severe obesity was 9.4%. Severe obesity prevalence was higher in women than men for each age group.
(...)
In the United States, the prevalence of obesity in adults remains above the Healthy People 2030 goal of 36.0% (7), but from 2013–2014 through August 2021–August 2023, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity in adults did not change significantly. Monitoring obesity prevalence is important for understanding trends over time.

Knækket fedmekurve vækker opsigt: Ser vi Ozempic-effekten eller en optisk illusion? (Videnskab.dk, Feb 6, 2025)
Broken obesity curve attracts attention: Is it the Ozempic effect or an optical illusion?
The two Danish experts in the article think it's too early to tell.
 
Monitoring may help us learn what to do about it.
In the meantime, the junk-food industry is emulating Big Tobacco's attempts to nullify anti-smoking campaigns: https://x.com/zalaly
Ziyad Al-Aly, MD on X, Feb 10, 2025:
For decades, the junk food industry has deliberately engineered foods to be addictive.
Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs have helped people break free from this cycle.
In response, the industry is now searching for ways to counteract the effects of these medications, aiming to design foods that remain addictive even for those on GLP-1. Wild but true. Fascinating piece in NYTimes Magazine. https://buff.ly/40QHDnk
It gets wilder. One of the researchers who is helping design this new generation of addictive foods is on GLP-1!!!!!!!

Ozempic Could Crush the Junk Food Industry. But It Is Fightning Back (NYT, Jan 10, 2025)

Isn't capitalism wonderful?!
Imagine how much more money Big Junk Food will be able to make if it also manages to make those of us who were never addicted to junk food addicted, too!
 
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Monitoring may help us learn what to do about it.
In the meantime, the junk-food industry is emulating Big Tobacco's attempts to nullify anti-smoking campaigns: https://x.com/zalaly



Ozempic Could Crush the Junk Food Industry. But It Is Fightning Back (NYT, Jan 10, 2025)

Isn't capitalism wonderful?!
Imagine how much more money Big Junk Food will be able to make if it also manages to make those of us who were never addicted to junk food addicted, too!
What's the population of people on Ozempic? Surely it's not big enough to warrant such targeted products.
 
What's the population of people on Ozempic? Surely it's not big enough to warrant such targeted products.
15 million, or 6% of the population, in the USA, according to this article, and it will probably increase. I personally know a couple of people using Ozempic or one of the alternatives. And the people most likely to use them are probably the biggest consumers of ultra-processed foods.

 
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15 million, or 6% of the population, in the USA, according to this article, and it will probably increase. I personally know a couple of people using Ozempic or one of the alternatives. And the people most likely to use them are probably the biggest consumers of ultra-processed foods.

It is generating literally billions in profit for the pharmaceutical companies that produce these drugs. But it is quite intereating to see what success means to a Danish company: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/20/...e_code=1.wk4.aESt.F9qzL7Toazoh&smid=url-share
 
What does it mean according the NYT article? I don't have access to it.
It has meant quite a lot to the local GNP:
Medicinalsektoren har drevet over halvdelen af væksten af det danske bnp i 2024 (NI News, Feb 20, 2025)
Væksten i det danske bnp endte på 3,6 procent for 2024.
Det viser tal fra Danmarks nationalregnskab hos Danmarks Statistik.
I fjerde kvartal voksede bnp desuden med 1,6 procent.
The pharma industry is behind more than half of the growth of Denmark's GNP in 2024
According to numbers from Denmark's Statistics, the growth of the Danish GNP was 3.6 percent in 2024.
In the fourth quarter of 2024, GNP increased by 1.6 percent.
 

Sugary sodas cause deadly diseases. Coca-Cola worked to discredit the science.


Decades of health campaigns and scientific research about the risks of sugary soft drinks are a big reason that Americans have been drinking less soda since consumption peaked around 2000. A January paper in Nature Medicine found that in 2020, 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease worldwide were attributable to sugar-sweetened beverages. But many of us still have not gotten the memo — the average American today drinks about 12 ounces of sugary sodas a day. For each person who doesn't drink any soda, there's someone chugging 24 ounces every day.

The main thrust of the article is how coke spent millions if not billions to twist the science about the health hazards of dringing sugar water. A strong parallel to the tobacco industry.

Coke is in the business of selling sugar water. If it tries to reduce sales of its products, it would be violating its obligations to its shareholders. (Woe to the CEO who announces on an earnings call — "We did it, we finally succeeded in reducing the amount of Coke we sell, thus reducing calories!") What is unexpected is for Coca-Cola to concurrently sell more sugar-sweetened beverages than any other corporation while taking credit for reducing calories.
 

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