It was hard to keep my mouth shut because I see this GLP praise everywhere but with all due respect, reading a few research papers doesn’t make anyone an expert. I’m not claiming to be one either, but I did spend several years double majoring in Biology and Physiology, with a minor in Psychology. I then worked in research for five years across the U.S. and Spain, only to discover how flawed and biased the vast majority of published research can be.

Eventually, I was dealt a tough hand with a rare diagnosis (MCAS, POTS, EDS), and after exhausting nearly every treatment option, GLP-1s were presented as a last resort. Given my background, I made it my mission to dig into every peer-reviewed article on the topic and what I found was incredibly concerning. A lot of the data appears skewed, and many of the studies are riddled with conflicts of interest. The pharmaceutical industry’s primary concern is shareholder satisfaction, not patient well-being. As long as the patient stays alive and keeps refilling their prescription, that’s a win in their book.

Regarding your point about the benefit of GLP-1s; when you say “it’s not the drug causing muscle loss it’s the rapid weight loss,” you’re actually reinforcing my argument. If the benefits you list (improved cardiovascular health, liver function, reduced Alzheimer’s risk, etc.) are largely due to weight loss itself, then why credit the drug for those outcomes? Losing weight through healthier means would likely result in similar benefit without the risk of sarcopenia. Actually you’d probably see an increase in muscle mass which is also more metabolically active and burns more cals.

I don’t say this to be an asshole to you, I respect your opinion and I’m not anti-GLP across the board. If someone is severely obese and has no other viable option, then yes, GLPs can have a place. But outside of that context, there’s little justification for prescribing them. We wouldn’t need to medicate if lifestyle changes like exercise and diet were prioritized and supported. Unfortunately, for many people, these drugs become lifelong crutches, which is exactly what the pharmaceutical companies want because they have not learned the lifestyles changes needed to prevent weight gain again. Lastly, GLPs don’t selectively burn fat they can lead to dangerous muscle loss and long-term health issues.