About this episode
This episode explores the origins of the obesity epidemic and the impact of Ozempic and GLP-1 drugs on perceptions of obesity and personal responsibility.
For decades, obesity was treated as a matter of self-control and free will: If you were fat, it was your own fault. You could try a diet - but the diet companies were also in on the fix: For years, Weight Watchers was owned by Heinz food … and Jenny Craig was owned by Nestle. But it was still up to you. You made your choices, and you had to live with them. And so the obesity rate in the US soared from around 15% of the population in 1970 to more than 40% today. Clearly something is going on other than free will and personal choices. In this episode of Drug Story, we explore the origins of the obesity epidemic: the Green Revolution in agriculture, which saved a billion lives, but also made grain cheap cheap cheap. And we look at what happened when the tobacco companies decided to diversify into the food business (surprise: food became a lot more addictive, and a lot less healthy). And we re-consider the whole idea of personal freedom and free will. This episode's drug is Ozempic, and the whole class of GLP-1s that have up-ended our presumptions around obesity. These drugs have transformed millions of lives - they are surely one of the most impactful medical discoveries of the…
People in this episode
Host: Thomas Goetz
Topics covered
- obesity
- self-control
- health
- food industry
- medical discoveries
- stigma
- personal freedom
Keywords
- obesity
- Ozempic
- GLP-1
- health
- food addiction
- Green Revolution
- diet
- stigma
- personal choices
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Weight Watchers, Heinz, Jenny Craig, Nestle
Products: Ozempic, GLP-1s
Places: US
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