[ebiester]

There are multiple confounding factors:

* Blood sugar levels (or whatever this is a proxy for)

* Weight

* The changes the GLP-1 Agonists make to the body itself.

While it is simple to say if you reduce the weight, you reduce the blood sugar levels, and so the GLP-1 is unnecessary, you can look at many accounts of using Ozempic where it talks about reducing the "food noise."

That is, Ozempic makes it easier to eat the right things. I'm a "normal weight" through grit, but I don't think my life is better through said grit - in fact, I'd say it's significantly worse. In my earlier life, I was naturally thin, and I can say that my weight increase wasn't a significant change to my diet, nor was my weight loss: I just had to be hungry and irritable more.

So, fundamentally, the cause and effect doesn't matter, because the drug makes it easier to be a more healthy weight and to control the blood sugar.

[Spivak]

> nor was my weight loss: I just had to be hungry and irritable more

Yes! I keep trying to explain to folks that this is the benefit of these drugs, they let you keep a healthy relationship with food, maintain "intuitive eating" where you aren't constantly fighting and discarding your hunger signals, and aren't (as) miserable doing it.

I did it the hard way, I wouldn't wish it on anyone.

[Someone1234]

I keep making the comparison to nicotine gum/patches, but for food. I'm hoping that such a simple analogy might help some people move past their innate biases, but not much traction so far.

[mjburgess]

In western societies with high levels of obesity, health is a signal of wealth and prestige. There's no "innate bias" here, just alarm over the debasement of the value of being thin and healthy. It's a cruel posturing, nothing more.