Researchers report ‘astounding’ obesity surge in U.S.

Researchers came for the “skinny/fat” sedentary ones. Makes sense… it’s long been known that accumulated fat in the midsection is correlated with higher risk of obesity-related diseases (diabetes, cardiovascular disease etc)

Even with ozempic and all the other drugs of that sort?

R2, GLP-1 drugs are generally not covered by insurance.

The GLP-1 drugs are relatively new and quite expensive. As new versions come on line, the prices will drop and eventually it will be cheaper for the insurance companies and Medicare to pay for them then have to pay for the health consequences of obesity.

They help a lot, but they are not magic bullets. You still need to eat a more healthy diet and exercise. But they are helpful eliminating the cravings for the processed food that Big Food has engineered to be addictive, as well as other types of addictions. Studies underway using them for narcotic addiction and to reduce alcohol consumption

I'm not a conspiracist, but expanding the definition of obesity makes more people eligible for existing and yet to be released weight loss drugs, no?

What do you mean by “eligible?” Doctors can prescribe them now for anyone they deem overweight. The question is what will the insurance companies pay for. They generally do not pay for the drugs simply for weight loss, though some private insurance does. My brother’s doctor wanted him to lose 20 lbs and his insurance paid for it.

The insurance companies make their own determinations and they are not bound by the scientific definition of obesity that was recently changed.

Don’t you have to stay in those GLP-1 drugs forever? Or the weight comes back?

Or does it help break cravings for junk food?

I don't know much about the "fat jabs." Are we sure that they don't have any long-term health consequences? Also, even if they don't have consequences like Cancer or Gall Bladder Destruction, surely one's metabolism must be screwed-for life after a year or two of taking them?

I only know one guy who has used them long-term: he dropped about 50lbs of weight but then packed on about 70lbs in the following year. Thanks, I could probably do that on my own without spending about $500/ month.

In theory you have to stay on them forever or you’re likely to gain the weight back.

A timely contribution from NYT

Interesting tid bit—it was the tobacco companies which diversified into processed food that came up with the idea of manipulating ingredients to make snack foods addictive:

[quote] In the 1980s and ’90s, manufacturers owned by tobacco companies developed more products with increasingly irresistible combinations of sodium, fats and carbohydrates. Their competitors followed suit.

[quote] Obesity tripled in children and doubled in adults between the mid-1970s and the early 2000s.

You all seem fat.

The jabs work -making them available to more people is key.

[quote]Don’t you have to stay in those GLP-1 drugs forever? Or the weight comes back?

The drug companies say to stay on them forever. The study I read (read the summary) said about 50% gained the weight back, so as R4 said, you still have to learn (and maintain) healthy life choices.

Does anybody else see the disgusting "dump" food videos/tik toks that people put out these days? Open this bag and empty into huge aluminum foil (disposable, of course) sheet pan, dump in 4 cans of this, dump a pound of bacon in, smother with a can of nacho cheese sauce, add stick of butter on top - VOILA! Delicious! And only takes a few minutes to "prepare!"

It's so nasty and disgusting. How do people eat this shit??

Lower the cost of cigarettes and everyone will be a lot thinner.

With a Diet Coke, R16?

What R16 said. And with that GenZ vocal fry/ up-speak, no less. Nauseating. They deserve to be 350 pounds and miserable.

Never mind portion sizes and unhealthy food, I can't get over the sheer size of soft drinks I see Americans guzzling. Massive cups filled with whatever sugary drinks and then they go for a refill. No wonder they're so fat.

R16, they are ragebait videos, for clicks.

R30, you have no idea what they’re drinking.

You do not see this in Europe. This is a North American problem. Large portion sizes and ultra processed foods have become normalized.

R29, Europe is fat as hell.

In Europe (and the UK), the fatter you are, the poorer you are.

It’s starting to be a global problem, though.

There’s definitely a socioeconomic stratification in the US too. Rich, educated people tend to be healthier and to eat better and exercise.

It should be noted we don't force anyone to go through are drive thrus

I love when some overweening European (hi R23) comes in to tell us obesity is an American problem.

That is true in the US to a large extent as well R25 - there are pretty obvious economic / education / class differences in the prevalence and degrees of obesity - especially in urban areas

Is this related to the thread about white boys having great big butts?

I’ve had significant success on GLP-1s (Zepbound and Wegovy) after decades of failed diet and exercise efforts. I’m almost at goal weight, and the question is how to maintain the loss. Insurance coverage has been off and on, but that’s another whole subject and indictment of the American health care system. My doctor and I are discussing that very issue now, and the likely solution is to stay on some sort of GLP-1 in the future. The drug companies (Lilly, Novo Nordisk, etc.) are coming out with pill/oral formulations, which will reportedly be less expensive to manufacture. Perhaps a low dosage of one of those could be used for maintenance. The question is whether the drug makers will pass on the lower cost of production to consumers.

Another point to consider is that these drugs are starting to show many other benefits, from treating sleep apnea, controlling other addictive behaviors (alcohol, drugs, shopping and gambling addictions, etc.) and other conditions. I was speaking with a retired anesthesiologist from one of the best hospitals in the world at a party recently and who said she thought these drugs were revolutionary in their benefits on many fronts.

R28 Canadian here, and you likely haven't traveled enough outside the US and Canada to know what I'm saying is true (i.e., xenophobia, another typically American characteristic).

And the US is the fastest country in the world, even fatter than Canada.

R31, my husband has been on Zepbound low-dose for the past 4 weeks and he's profoundly impressed by what's been happening. Paraphrasing him... "All those years thinking I just needed more willpower -- turns out all of this is just hormones." His appetite is medium-low but his energy is good (except lower the day after the jab), and he's lost 7-8 pounds already and it has felt effortless to lose them. He was average/lean and reasonably fit when we met 16 years ago, and he has slowly gained a 15-20 lb belly. The way it's just sliding right off week by week and he doesn't even have to do anything... I can see how these treatments will be life-changing for many people.

And come to think of it... his snoring has really calmed down as well.

R32, I travel significantly and have spent weeks each in multiple countries, and a year in England. You keep on being smug though.

Fatter. Stupider. Meaner.

As I understand it, the drug mimics a naturally occurring hormone, but you are not treating a deficiency in that hormone. It’s adding more than would occur naturally and, in addition to slowing digestion, the hormone seems to affect the brain’s reward and craving functions. I don’t think the drug makes our body work like people without food addiction. It’s doing something different.