[theevilsharpie]

> I was wondering if there really are no negative long term side effects

Weight loss via caloric restriction inevitably results in losing lean muscle mass along with body fat.

That's why diet and exercise are paired -- diet loses the weight, and exercise helps to reduce the loss of muscle.

While there's nothing stopping people from pairing Ozempic with exercise to achieve a similar result, I doubt many are. Those ecstatic about the rapid weight loss achieved by these drugs may not be so happy if they were viewing their progress on something that measured their full body composition, rather than just their weight.

These are miracle drugs for people who are morbidly obese and suffering from severe weight-related problems. Those folks can use Ozempic to rapidly lose fat and muscle to get them out of their immediate crisis, and then work to rebuild as much of that lean muscle mass as they can later.

However, people who are just using Ozempic as an easier alternative to diet and exercise are not only taking away supply of this drug from people who really need it to deal with morbid obesity, they're setting themselves up for health problems later in life if enough of their muscle mass has degraded that they start struggling to do everyday activities. Unfortunately, by the time people reach this point, it's unlikely that they'll be able to do anything about other than resort to assistive technology like wheelchairs to regain their mobility.

[toomuchtodo]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4383600/ ("Pharmacology of manipulating lean body mass")

https://newatlas.com/medical/drug-mimics-exercise-weight-los... ("Drug that mimics exercise triggers weight loss and builds lean muscle")

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise_mimetic

[spacemadness]

Sorry, what’s the point of these links? Don’t worry, another pill is on the way to solve the exercise problem?

[toomuchtodo]

Yes! GLP-1 agonists came out of nowhere (from a relative timeline perspective), and the positive potential is massive (with some side effects, which may be acceptable in the aggregate compared to the aggregate benefit). What is more likely to occur, based on all available evidence? Humans are going to change their behaviors at scale? Or we're going to use bioengineering to help folks achieve their goals? Don't be mad at the human, they are only human; help the human be a better human via path of least resistance. The human didn't elect to be here, nor exist with the genetic makeup they were given.

If you can build a system to stick to strength training, excellent, but many cannot. I struggle myself sticking to my strength training routine.

[ryandrake]

> If you can build a system to stick to strength training, excellent, but many cannot. I struggle myself sticking to my strength training routine.

I struggle to just make myself take a daily 1 mile walk. It's not that I can't, it's just that my brain keeps telling me there are better things that I can be doing with my time. Bring on the bioengineering!

[consteval]

I don't know why you're saying that like it's a bad thing.

Clearly, the self-discipline approach just doesn't work. Not on a soceital scale.

Less people dying and people feeling healthier is a good thing. For everyone, you and I included. It also helps that Ozempic also reduce addiction to nicotine, alcohol, and potentially other drugs.

The human condition is complex and it's becoming obvious, to me, the human body and brain were never meant to exist in the kind of society we have. A society of food surplus, sedentary work, and high stressors. Yes, we will adapt - but tools to aid our survival along the way I think could be good.