We’re at the Dawn of the Ozempic Era — and It’s Really Weird
Here’s a shocking number: One out of eight American adults is taking a GLP-1, like Ozempic or Zepbound, according to a KFF poll.
GLP-1s are the biggest pharmaceutical story since antidepressants. But there’s still so much we don’t know.
“We’re only at the beginning of what’s been called this Ozempic era,” the journalist Julia Belluz told me. “I think we’re really just at the beginning of discovering the benefits and the harms of these drugs.” These discoveries begin in the research but are also expanding into how we think about our punishing beauty standards and the blurry lines between illness and wellness.
Belluz is a contributing Opinion writer and the author, with Kevin Hall, of “Food Intelligence.” She’s one of the best health and science reporters I know and has been reporting on GLP-1s for years.
In this conversation, Belluz takes me through what we know — and don’t know — about GLP-1s, their unexpected uses, how they are clashing with a culture obsessed with thinness and looksmaxxing, and whether everyone should be on them.
Mentioned:
“The obesity pay gap is worse than previously thought” by The Economist
“The Great Ozempic Experiment” by Julia Belluz
Book Recommendations:
Behave by Robert M. Sapolsky
The Poison Squad by Deborah Blum
Ultra-Processed People by Chris van Tulleken