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Derek Thompson
@DKThomp
Today's newsletter: WHY DO GLP-1 DRUGS SEEM TO BE GOOD AT EVERYTHING? Studies show GLP-1s for may also: - curb alcohol, cocaine, and tobacco use among addicts - prevent strokes, heart attacks, chronic kidney disease, sleep apnea, and Parkinson's disease - reduce the risk of several cancers - slow the rate of memory loss among people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s An obvious explanation would be that obesity and T2 diabetes are bad for us, and so anything that reduces weight and helps with insulin sensitivity is good. But many of these effects have been seen in people who aren't obese, aren't diabetic, and aren't even losing weight in trials. As the image below shows, scientists now believe that drugs interact with cells throughout the body to reduce inflammation and directly improve brain functioning. Something very odd and fascinating is going on with this drugs. Today's essay is my attempt to explain what it is: derekthompson.substack.com/p/why-does-it-
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Crémieux
@cremieuxrecueil
Good post! A few random comments. 1. Getting glycemia under control rapidly can cause issues. For some people who are particularly messed up, starting these drugs provides more risks than rewards, at least until their blood sugar is under control. Example:
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Dan Edmonson
@dansedmonson
I like theory 1, but obesity aside, I wonder how much simply eating less of bad things improves various outcomes. And, of course, if you’re drinking etc on an empty stomach, you’re likely to drink less, and lower weight—>lower tolerance.
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William Sears
@wlmsears
It's beginning to look like GLP-1 drugs may be an appropriate intervention to environmental changes that have happened over the past 100 years.
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chickenparmesean
@chickenparmesea
Great article. interesting that a common side effect of SSRIs is weight gain + 90% of serotonin is produced in the gut. Most ppl argue it’s CICO, but there are far too many ppl where that’s not the case.SSRIs are still poorly understood, doubt we ever get answers for GLP1
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Russell Johnston
@RussellJohnston
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Russell Johnston
@RussellJohnston
Replying to @cremieuxrecueil
If your mitochondria aren't in great shape - you've left the lights on a lot while sleeping, or use artificial light at inconsistent times, say - then your brain/body interprets that as a lack of fuel: when it's really a lack of energy. This mistake occurs because whacked
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kar nels
@kar_nels
My insurance won't cover Ozempic or the like for weight loss or cholesterol issues etc, only for diabetes that things like metformin haven't controlled. Seems really short-sighted given some self insured corporate pools see savings in reduced CV and other things with 2 years
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Eros Morales
@CCMarimba
very good econ 102 podcast made me wonder whether it would be ok to attenuate monetary policy's efficacy against inflation somewhat in order to lower shelter inflation - a big deal in overall inflation - since shelter is so important to well-being. Won't my non-rentsavings% rise?
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Elijah Ravitz-Campbell
@ElijahRavitz
I don't quite understand the argument against everyone taking existing GLP1s? You mentioned side effects but it doesn't seem obvious in the post that those are a significant problem, let alone enough to outweigh the benefits.
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Vikram Rai
@raiv11
Is there not some evidence that GLP-1 agonists raise subject’s resting heart rate? The benefits surely outweigh the costs based on available evidence, but there is some cost.
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SFMara
@EHunt48483
We're in the period of unexplored possibilities and big hopes. A lot of these probably won't pan out, but we'll never know until we look.
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Brad Johnson
@BaseballATeam
It’s inaccurate and potentially damaging to say obesity is “bad” fwiw. First, we’re way too nonspecific about what that means. Certain subcategories even appear to be protective of QoL and are associated with increased longevity.
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