David Kessler, a physician and a former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, has long battled with his weight. As he writes in a guest essay, “I was caught between what the food industry has done to make the American diet unhealthy and addictive and what my metabolism could accommodate.” Then he tried one of the new GLP-1 medications. He quickly found that it helped to control the addictive circuits in his brain that many widely available, ultraformulated foods have been engineered to stimulate. He lost more weight than he thought was possible and now believes that many overweight Americans may be in a position to get healthy. But he also warns that these drugs are not a panacea. There is much we still don’t know about the consequences of taking them over the long term. He also thinks there is more to losing weight than simply taking the injections. Then there is the reality of the world we live in. The Trump administration has rejected a plan to expand access to the drugs through Medicare and Medicaid. And all around us are the foods that got us into this mess. Roughly 40 percent of American adults are obese; of those, more than half have high blood pressure, putting them at risk for heart disease, and nearly a quarter wrestle with diabetes. Perhaps these medications will mark, as Kessler hopes, a turning point. Here’s what we’re focusing on today:
We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you’re in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times.
|
