How long til we're all on Ozempic? • Hacker News Board

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#151

Post by Blackthorn » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:33 PM UTC

MBCook wrote: post #25

asib wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but the "unhealthy but not excessively caloric" diet is not a problem ozempic attempts to address. As far as I understand, it simply limits your appetite. Potentially one can go on ozempic, lose weight, and still end up eating unhealthily, because the resulting diet is made up of nutritionally poor foods.

No, but if it helps avoid the discussion because the very visible side effect is lessened, then in some ways things are worse. No squeaky wheel. I’m glad it’s available for those who need it. But I agree with GP that there is another discussion we need to be having too we’ve avoided for far far too long.

"visible side effect", dude, modern food is fortified to the hilt. If you're overeating on calories it's tough to have a deficiency in most places!

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#152

Post by steveBK123 » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:33 PM UTC

snarf21 wrote: post #66

rqtwteye wrote: post #4

It's a pretty sad thought that everybody will be on a drug that keeps weight in check while most people will still eat a basically toxic diet. Weight is certainly an important factor but there is more to a healthy life.

Serious question: Why not make toxic diet illegal or cost prohibitive? Lots of manufactured food is designed to be more addictive. Then add in constant advertising bombardment targeted at kids. Why is there up to double the sugar in US bread and soda versus Europe?

The politics of legislating diet are very fraught, let alone the implementation is incredible complicated.

Even blue state dem voters I know used to whinge about Michelle Obama and her veggies lol.

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#153

Post by the__alchemist » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:33 PM UTC

cyberax wrote: post #70

sss111 wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There were several side effects related to pancreatic cancer associated with the precursors to GLP-1 drugs. The same companies promoting GLP-1s were responsible for driving up insulin prices. So I'm hedging my bets. There's a really cool Modern MBA video [1] on this topic btw :) [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sUoZVke_30

> There were several side effects related to pancreatic cancer In mice.

This is a good example of a thought-terminating cliche.

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#154

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:33 PM UTC

patmcc wrote: post #138

arcticbull wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Just eat less and exercise more" is trite. If it were that easy, we'd all be in fantastic shape. Studies show it just doesn't work. There was a massive (18,000,000 people) cohort analysis published in 2023 that showed the likelihood of someone losing 5% of their body weight in any given year was 1 in 11 and the likelihood of going from severely obese to normal weight is 1 in 1667. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/…

>>>Studies show it just doesn't work. It's not that "eat less and exercise more" doesn't work, it's that nobody does it, because it's really, really hard. Calories in/Calories out is both completely true and completely useless for actual humans. edit: that's unfair, mostly useless

[deleted]

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#155

Post by jeffbee » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:33 PM UTC

pfdietz wrote: post #126

arcticbull wrote: post #105

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "Just eat less and exercise more" is trite. If it were that easy, we'd all be in fantastic shape. Studies show it just doesn't work. There was a massive (18,000,000 people) cohort analysis published in 2023 that showed the likelihood of someone losing 5% of their body weight in any given year was 1 in 11 and the likelihood of going from severely obese to normal weight is 1 in 1667. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/…

I've lost 27 pounds since May (12%). Eliminating most carbs and doing lots of walking. I think being on metformin helped.

> and doing lots of walking

If you just teleport a fat guy from Bentonville to Manhattan and give him a Metrocard he will lose a pound a week. The people who say nobody can lose weight, it's too hard, cannot explain why there are macroscale populations with lower obesity.

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#156

Post by pfdietz » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:34 PM UTC

setgree wrote: post #13

There's some evidence that Ozempic improves general impulse control, e.g decreasing alcohol consumption [0], which the article mentions. Also, as Tyler Cowen writes [1], this is probably going to translate into big improvements for animal welfare: > People lose weight on these drugs because they eat less, and eating less usually means eating less meat. And less meat consumption results in less factory farming. This s…

I had a short conversation with an agronomist friend of mine. Crop prices are in the dumps right now, and I was wondering if it's because of these drugs. He said this is being openly discussed.

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#157

Post by copperx » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:34 PM UTC

arcticbull wrote: post #107

copperx wrote: post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It would be interesting to compare the anxiolytic effects of the drug versus the cancer anxiety caused by being on the drug. The cancer anxiety could be reduced by frequent testing. e.g., having a thyroid ultrasound every 6 months, or a yearly abdominal MRI, just to make sure cancer is not brewing.

There's no evidence that GLP-1s cause cancer in any meaningful amount, but obesity definitely does. Either way the only cancer they found any correlation to was thyroid which is one of the most treatable -- over 99% survival rates.

While thyroid cancer is highly treatable, the type of thyroid cancer that GLP-1 drugs cause is the rare and untreatable variety.

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#158

Post by firesteelrain » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:34 PM UTC

nullc wrote: post #122

rootusrootus wrote: post #10

I'd think it more likely that it'll be one of the next generation drugs, but I do agree with the premise that it will be really common. A few weeks ago I started a low dose of tirzepatide (aka Mounjaro, aka Zepbound) and the side effects are interesting. The biggest negative, which just takes adjustment, is drastically lower stomach capacity. Used to be that two eggs and two pieces of toast was breakfast. Now I bette…

Glad you're having a good time, but the broad ranging psychological effects are concerning.

What kinds?

I have been taking tirz for 7 weeks and walking 5 miles a day + exercise. My depression is gone and I have lost 30 lbs. I am loving life.

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#159

Post by Tempat » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:34 PM UTC

tredre3 wrote: post #36

setgree wrote: post #13

There's some evidence that Ozempic improves general impulse control, e.g decreasing alcohol consumption [0], which the article mentions. Also, as Tyler Cowen writes [1], this is probably going to translate into big improvements for animal welfare: > People lose weight on these drugs because they eat less, and eating less usually means eating less meat. And less meat consumption results in less factory farming. This s…

> big improvements for animal welfare Is it? It might reduce the amount of animals killed, sure, but it won't improve the well-being of the ones that are still raised.

I suppose thinner people do probably walk their dogs more often…

Re: How long til we're all on Ozempic?

#160

Post by steveBK123 » Fri, Oct 11, 2024, 6:35 PM UTC

One lurking concern I've had around this space is that junk food makers simply find a way to make their food even more addicting.

Arguably though, ozempic'd customers and shrinkflation'd products would be a recipe for amazing margin improvement. And they can dress it up as doing good because its better for people, (like the 100 calorie snack packaging).