4 ms·

> The obesity decline is obviously related to the widespread use of GLP-1 drugs. All I have to offer is anecdotes, but as someone who is currently on a GLP-1 R

by op00to 2y ago

> The obesity decline is obviously related to the widespread use of GLP-1 drugs. All I have to offer is anecdotes, but as someone who is currently on a GLP-1 RA, when I've talked about my experience it seems like most people are totally unaware of them other than the fact that they exist. It's possible people are embarrassed to admit they're using GLP-1 RAs. Combined with the challenge of getting insurance to cover this, it seems like most people who could benefit from these drugs are not using them. I think there's a contribution for sure, but I also see in my own life people who would previously have gotten a cheeseburger when eating out choosing a salad.

Aurornis 2y ago
You only need a small number of people taking GLP-1 drugs to see the overall obesity rate go down. As far as drugs go, GLP-1 drugs are extremely popular for how young they are. As the article mentions, 1 in 8 people have been prescribed them at some point. Regardless of what you’ve heard personally, that’s a huge number of people! Definitely enough to start showing up as a couple points reduction in obesity rate.
- op00to 2y ago
  1 in 8! That's crazy. That's way more than enough people to see a reduction in the rate. I have "good" insurance that is self-funded by my employer, so no actual financial interest for the insurance company to deny claims, and it's still a battle each and every month to get it covered, while I have no problems with advanced imaging for a chronic health issue.
  - Aurornis 2y ago
    > I have "good" insurance that is self-funded by my employer, so no actual financial interest for the insurance company to deny claims The common way to structure self-insured plans lets the employer and insurer split any leftover money at the end of the year. So both your insurer and your employer have incentive to deny claims. That said, GLP-1 drugs are far more expensive in the US than anywhere else, so it’s amazing that we get them covered so often. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why they’re so expensive. If they weren’t covered at all for obesity, their market price would drop substantially. It’s a system full of weird incentives.
- paulpauper 2y ago
  Going down a bit is still a far cry from making a big dent in the overall obesity rate , which is still very high. More needs to be done.
ryandvm 2y ago
They work and they are indeed expensive. I have a feeling in the coming years the popularity of GLP-1 style drugs is going to really skew the income:lifespan ratios even further.
ghaff 2y ago
To be honest, this is the first time I've even heard of them.

by op00to 2y ago

Aurornis 2y ago

You only need a small number of people taking GLP-1 drugs to see the overall obesity rate go down. As far as drugs go, GLP-1 drugs are extremely popular for how young they are. As the article mentions, 1 in 8 people have been prescribed them at some point. Regardless of what you’ve heard personally, that’s a huge number of people! Definitely enough to start showing up as a couple points reduction in obesity rate.

op00to 2y ago
1 in 8! That's crazy. That's way more than enough people to see a reduction in the rate. I have "good" insurance that is self-funded by my employer, so no actual financial interest for the insurance company to deny claims, and it's still a battle each and every month to get it covered, while I have no problems with advanced imaging for a chronic health issue.
- Aurornis 2y ago
  > I have "good" insurance that is self-funded by my employer, so no actual financial interest for the insurance company to deny claims The common way to structure self-insured plans lets the employer and insurer split any leftover money at the end of the year. So both your insurer and your employer have incentive to deny claims. That said, GLP-1 drugs are far more expensive in the US than anywhere else, so it’s amazing that we get them covered so often. In fact, that’s one of the reasons why they’re so expensive. If they weren’t covered at all for obesity, their market price would drop substantially. It’s a system full of weird incentives.
paulpauper 2y ago
Going down a bit is still a far cry from making a big dent in the overall obesity rate , which is still very high. More needs to be done.

ryandvm 2y ago

They work and they are indeed expensive. I have a feeling in the coming years the popularity of GLP-1 style drugs is going to really skew the income:lifespan ratios even further.

ghaff 2y ago

To be honest, this is the first time I've even heard of them.