Ozempic and other GLP-1 receptor agonists have skyrocketed in popularity as a treatment for obesity, promising rapid weight-loss at a hefty price.
“Miracle drug” is one of the descriptors use by celebrities, influencers, and many journalists. I have so far held off on first-hand experience (Related read: No Biological Free Lunches), and I suggest reading Dr. Peter Attia’s warnings regarding possible side-effects.
But just like the rest of the world, I am fascinated by the promises and perils of these drugs, and I am actively tracking how things unfold.
This is why I’m excited to share exclusive excerpts from Johann Hari (@johannhari101), who reports on his research and direct experience in his newest book: Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs.
Johann is the New York Times bestselling author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, named a Book of the Year by the Financial Times and the New York Post; Lost Connections: Uncovering The Real Causes of Depression – and the Unexpected Solutions, described as “one of the most important texts of recent years” by the British Journal of General Practice; and Chasing the Scream: the First and Last Days of the War on Drugs, which was adapted into the Oscar-nominated film The United States vs. Billie Holiday, for which Johann also served as an executive producer.
Johann has written for some of the world’s leading newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, and the Guardian. His TED talks, Everything You Think You Know About Addiction is Wrong and This Could Be Why You Are Depressed or Anxious, have been viewed more than 93 million times.
If you’re pressed for time, skip to the second excerpt to read about Johann’s first-hand account of taking Ozempic, but I suggest reading all of the below.
These drugs and their close cousins will get more and more attention in the coming year, and the more you know, the fewer mistakes you will make.
Please enjoy!
Enter Johann . . .
In the winter of 2022, the global pandemic seemed to be finally receding, so for the first time in two years, I went to a party. I felt schlubby and slightly self-conscious because I had gained a stone a half [21 lbs] since the world shut down. Some people say the main reason they survived the pandemic was the vaccine; for me, it was Uber Eats. The party was being thrown by an Oscar-winning actor, and while I didn’t expect Hollywood stars to have pudged out as much as the rest of us, I thought there would be a little swelling at the edges.
As I milled around, I felt disconcerted. It wasn’t just that nobody had gained weight. They were gaunt. Their cheekbones were higher, their stomachs tighter. This hadn’t only happened to the actors. The middle-aged TV executives, the actors’ spouses and kids, the agents—everyone I hadn’t seen for a few years suddenly looked like their own Snapchat filter, clearer and leaner and sharper.
I bumped into an old friend and said to her, in a kind of shamed mumble, that I guessed everyone really did take up Pilates in lockdown. She laughed. Then, when I didn’t laugh back, she stared at me. “You know it wasn’t Pilates, don’t you?” I looked back, puzzled, and she said: “Do you really not know?”
So, standing at the side of the dance floor, she pulled up an image on her phone.
I squinted at it in the darkness, as the shrunken partiers all around us shook their bony behinds and discreetly declined the canapés.
On the screen, I could see a light blue plastic tube with a tiny needle sticking out of it.
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