GLP-1: Food for Thought

Anti-obesity medications, like GLP-1 agonists, are making waves in healthcare. People report significant health outcomes and improved quality of life, and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey claim it's a "game changer."    

What are our thoughts on the matter?  

GLP-1 agonists have undeniably established themselves in the medical landscape. Thus, the real question is not whether we approve of these advancements but how to incorporate them effectively into models promoting safe, holistic, and equitable medical care.  

While medical advancements are crucial, addressing the systemic issues that underpin the causes of non-communicable diseases is equally important. We believe drugs should become one tool in the toolbox that healthcare providers can deploy based on an individual patient's needs. Concurrently, we hope researchers, policymakers, and decision-makers continue building therapeutic food systems that ensure access to healthful and preferred foods, support communities in facilitating opportunities for healthy lifestyles, and advocate for a societal shift towards improved diagnostics and procedures that better represent diverse bodies.    

It is our hope that we can find creative ways to intertwine food-based interventions into the standard of care, especially to enhance the efficacy of medical and pharmaceutical interventions and help prevent risks for future generations.  

Please read more about our views on integrating food-based intervention into obesity medicine in our recent Health Affairs Forefront article.

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