The Life Scientific: Jens Juul Holst

The Life Scientific: Jens Juul Holst

From Discovery by BBC World Service

May 4, 2026 · 26 min

About this episode

The episode features a conversation with Jens Juul Holst about the development and implications of GLP-1 medications for weight loss and diabetes treatment.

As recently as a few years ago, the idea of a self-administered injection that would deliver proven weight-loss results might have sounded fantastical. Today, these medications are a reality and a global phenomenon; hailed in many quarters as “miracle drugs" for their success in treating obesity and diabetes. They do this by replicating a gut hormone called GLP‑1, which tells the brain you’ve eaten enough and nudges the pancreas to release insulin; and this hormone was discovered and decoded thanks to years of work by today's guest. Jens Juul Holst is a Professor of Medical Physiology and Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen. His efforts laid the groundwork for today’s weight loss jabs, earning him a slew of high-profile accolades and awards. Now it seems they might not only have positive impacts on obesity and diabetes, but also other health issues... But alongside the big success comes some big questions: including concerns over side effects, weight regain post-treatment, the black market in such drugs, and their cost and accessibility. In a frank conversation with Professor Jim Al-Khalili, Jens address these issues and shares his hopes for the future of…

People in this episode

Host: Jim Al-Khalili

Guest: Jens Juul Holst

Topics covered

  • weight loss
  • diabetes
  • GLP-1
  • obesity
  • medical research
  • health issues

Keywords

  • GLP-1
  • weight loss
  • obesity
  • diabetes
  • medical physiology
  • insulin
  • hormones
  • healthcare
  • side effects

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Copenhagen

More episodes of Discovery

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Discovery podcast page.