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Medicine

Ozempic-Like Drugs Could Lower Sales of Junk Food (yahoo.com) 120

Posted by EditorDavid from the end-of-obesity dept.
Will appetite-suppressing drugs hurt the sugar industry? Executives from Walmart warned that Ozempic and Zepbound "are impacting food sales," reports Bloomberg, "and multiple analyst surveys have showed that less-hungry customers are spending fewer dollars at grocery stores and restaurants." The drugs, which cut cravings, will result in a decline in calorie consumption in the US of 1.5% to 2.5% by 2035, with a drop of as much as 5% in the consumption of sweets such as baked goods, confectionery and soda, Morgan Stanley analysts including Pamela Kaufman said in a report last month. Morgan Stanley forecast about a 10th of the US population will be on the so-called GLP-1 medications — originally designed to treat diabetes but being used by many as a powerful weight-loss tool — by 2035... Even with tight supplies and sky-high prices limiting uptake of the medications, sales of GLP-1 drugs for both obesity and diabetes already exceeded $19 billion in 2023. The global obesity market alone could top $100 billion by the end of the decade, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. estimates, while Bloomberg Intelligence forecasts $80 billion of sales.

More than 60% of US consumers taking the drugs said they had cut back on sweet treats like candy, ice cream and baked goods, and many said they had either significantly — or entirely — stopped eating those products, according to Morgan Stanley.
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Ozempic-Like Drugs Could Lower Sales of Junk Food More

Ozempic-Like Drugs Could Lower Sales of Junk Food

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  • No shit (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Nugoo ( 1794744 ) on Sunday June 02, 2024 @03:13PM (#64518125)

    Isn't that... the whole point of appetite suppressants?

    Of all the concerns I have about diet pills, this is not one of them.

    • Re:No shit (Score:5, Funny)

      by ArchieBunker ( 132337 ) on Sunday June 02, 2024 @03:28PM (#64518165)

      My heart goes out to the companies charging $6 for a box of Oreos or $7 for a bag of chips.

    • Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)

      by usedtobestine ( 7476084 )

      Isn't that... the whole point of appetite suppressants?

      Of all the concerns I have about diet pills, this is not one of them.

      So, you and the authors think that inflation is an appetite suppressant? The reason WalMart is selling less food is that food has become more expensive.

    • The point is that enough people are using appetite suppressants that it is impacting the food industry. That means their use has become quite widespread. How is that not obvious?

    • What if foods that had excess sugar were required to have a small amount of the cyclodextrin that is used in cavadex to reduce cholesterol crystals? Poison with antidote!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by haruchai ( 17472 )

      My local 7-11 has seen a significant increase in junk food sales since pot became legal

  • Please enjoy your purchase of addictive food, appetite suppressant, diabetes treatments.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Entrope ( 68843 )

      Are you suggesting the certified communist alternative of starving wrongthinkers to death?

      • Oh so you support the free market approach of putting the price of food on the food? That should work pretty well since most of the problem is due to hidden costs.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by dougmc ( 70836 )

      I am reminded of Ayds appetite suppressant candy [youtube.com] from the 70s and early 80s.

      Alas, the brand name became quite unfortunate in the end.

  • Choices (Score:3)

    by VeryFluffyBunny ( 5037285 ) on Sunday June 02, 2024 @03:49PM (#64518217)
    It'd seem that many 'Muricans have to take carcinogenic appetite suppressants in order to lose weight. Healthier alternative; The food industry pays for everyone's health insurance for any illnesses related to poor diet. I think they might make a few changes to the comestibles they offer their customers in this case.

    • It's amazing how difficult it is to eat out AND eat healthy at the same time. So much salt, so much sugar, such large portions.

      Sometimes I order off the kids' menu to deal with that last one.

      • It's one of the worst things about travel - having to eat out so much. Takes so much time and I always gain a few pounds.
      • The portions have gotten a bit better though, especially in the US. 20 years ago, you'd go to a restaurant in the States and feel bloated after having had just the starter. The portions seem a bit more reasonable these days. Here in Europe it seems the portions got smaller as well. Whether you have a 2 or a 7 course meal, you'll end up feeling satisfied rather than bloated; if you're still peckish after you just have a bigger dessert or the cheese cart.

        About the amount of salt or sugar, is it really

        • The portions have gotten a bit better though, especially in the US. 20 years ago, you'd go to a restaurant in the States and feel bloated after having had just the starter. The portions seem a bit more reasonable these days

          Who’d have thunk that inflation managed to reduce something?

    • While it's definitely a huge problem in America (pun semi-intended), Europe isn't immune either [euronews.com].

      There's a reason the phrase "Global Obesity Epidemic" [duckduckgo.com] exists.

    • the food industry isn't forcing us to overstuff our faces; we exercise too little and eat too damn much and eat too cheap convenient processed "food product"

      the food industry should not pay one cent for a self-inflicted problem

      • Re:Choices (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Firethorn ( 177587 ) on Sunday June 02, 2024 @05:34PM (#64518421) Homepage Journal

        Problem: The food industry has been caught, like the tobacco industry, deliberately designing its products to cause these issues, because it increases sales some.

    • Almost everyone has health care. What this means is that the consequences of poor food habits is masked by more drugs. Both sides win except for the people stuck in the middle.

      Without health care to prop up your bad health from eating junk, you quickly stop eating the junk or you die. Sure it sounds backwards but people take notice when they start feeling like death every day.
      • I reckon that if the food corps pay for poor diet related healthcare, at least 2 things could happen: Food corps would seek to reduce costs... #1 through direct negotiation with health insurance providers because individuals &/or their employers wouldn't be footing those bills, & #2 through reducing the negative health effects of the products they sell to consumers because at the moment there is no financial incentive for them to do so.

        So rather than sacrificing millions of citizens on the alter
  • ... funding "Ozempic killed my goldfish" and "Ozempic made my dick shrink" protest groups, running absurdly small clinical trials on the impotence effect of this compound, and winding up the anti-Vaxx assets. Because : Sales.

  • Addiction (Score:5, Interesting)

    by bill_mcgonigle ( 4333 ) * on Sunday June 02, 2024 @04:07PM (#64518249) Homepage Journal

    As a recovering junk food addict myself (SAD) your best bet is to get it out of the house.

    If there is junk food in the house and no beef I will want to get the junk food out of the house by eating it.

    Get your dopamine up some other less harmful way if you can.

    It was 80lbs (4 stone for you europeans) and ten years ago but the draw is nearly as strong.

    Not buying it unless you go out for ice cream or something is a hugely important step.

    I don't know if diabetes or semaglutides are worse but both will allegedly give you ED so watch out.

    • It is part of DNA I think, and did not favor you. I keep junk food and always have. I've thrown it away due to spoilage, yes even junk food goes bad, or so stale it loses all appeal. I won that DNA lottery. I really don't crave it, so there is no temptation. Pretty much I eat when I am hungry.
      • At the population level, it's clear that most people will (did) pack on the pounds as pre-prepared food took over and became cheap and readily available everywhere all the time.

      • Re:Addiction (Score:5, Insightful)

        by ghoul ( 157158 ) on Monday June 03, 2024 @03:38AM (#64519137)
        The problem for people with type 2 diabetes is insulin resistance. Their blood is awash in sugar but the cells dont turn it into energy due to insulin resistance so they feel hungry . Meanwhile the liver is taking the extra sugar and turning it into fat. So you see a fat person eating more and more because they are literally starving. Adding more insulin either directly or by using Ozempic to stimulate the pancreas to make more may help for a while but too much insulin in the blood makes the cells even less sensitive to insulin. One solution is heavy physical exercise when the body starts burning fat and also increases the insulin sensitivity of cells. Basically people born with the genes for Diabetes type 2 have to do enough gym to stay normal that if they were less unlucky on the genetic lottery they would become bodybuilders. Its not surprising most are not able to keep up with the regime and develop Diabetes Type 2. Yet Diabetes is one disease where people blame the victim - you should eat less sugar. No one blames a cancer victim - you should reduce your exposure to carcinogens but somehow everyone feels ok lecturing diabetics.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by hawk ( 1151 )

        > yes even junk food goes bad,

        obviously not Twinkies. Unlike diamonds, they *are* forever . . .

    • It was 80lbs (4 stone for you europeans)

      That's not how Europeans work, and that's not how the metric system works. 4 stone is 25kg. 80lbs is 36kg. Which is it, they are very significantly different numbers.

      • Re: (Score:3)

        by mjwx ( 966435 )

        It was 80lbs (4 stone for you europeans)

        That's not how Europeans work, and that's not how the metric system works. 4 stone is 25kg. 80lbs is 36kg. Which is it, they are very significantly different numbers.

        Yep, stone is almost exclusively a British thing and for most young people in the UK, they use KG anyway. It's not just exclusively British, its exclusively old British. Give it another 20 years and hardly anyone will use it.

  • We should outlaw these drugs because they are bad for the US economy!! :P the food companies should not be allowed to own shares in the drug companies.

  • If the USA was a product the advert would say "There's a drug for that".

  • Morgan Stanley forecast about a 10th of the US population will be on the so-called GLP-1 medications — originally designed to treat diabetes but being used by many as a powerful weight-loss tool — by 2035.

    This sounds kinda like blind extrapolation.

    I mean if nothing else, the censorious scold industry will ramp up in counterbalance.

    • It doesn't have to be blind.
      I just searched "population of usa that is morbidly obese", and it spat out 10%. It's also a percentage that has been trending up for decades.

      Now, figure on a couple things:
      1. Studies come out showing that GLP-1 medications are effective at weight loss, without the downsides of earlier attempts.
      2. The price of them drops to the point that there are studies that show that they are a cost-effective way to reduce costs to medical insurance - IE they reduce the rate of various obe

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

        11% of the US population over 12 is on antidepressants. Around 6% of American adults do at least one round of prescribed opioids a year, and that's now in the middle of a crisis.

        ~10% adoption of a trendy new drug class seems fairly reliable. In this case it sounds pretty conservative. 15% of US adults are diabetic to start with.

        • Yeah, I know, I'm actually diabetic myself. But looking, I'm not seeing 15%, I'm seeing ~9% as being type 2 diabetic(11.6% for all types). Ozempic and such aren't for type 1.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

            11.6% is for everybody. 15% for adults.

            https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/p... [cdc.gov]).

            • Ah. Still, the point remains - this is for the ~9% that are type 2 diabetics, as these drugs are counter-indicated for type 1 diabetics.

              But I'm not sure of the overlap between "morbidly obese" and "type 2 diabetic", but I'm sure it isn't 100%, so yeah, having 10% of the population on this line of drugs is 0% surprising given enough time.

              • Re: (Score:2)

                by ceoyoyo ( 59147 )

                Diabetics (of any kind) are not the only target for GLP-1 drugs. Not even the biggest one, most likely.

                • Uh, remember my mentioning the overlap between "morbidly obese" and "type 2 diabetic"? IE the top two reasons to prescribe these drugs? I'm fully aware that diabetics aren't the only target. Ergo, we have two ~10% chunks of population, with admittedly some level of overlap, that are targets. Getting 10% of the US adult population onto them in the future is therefore zero percent shocking.

                  Yes, Diabetics are not the only target. However, it isn't "of any kind", because this drug would be very bad to admi

      • Now, figure on a couple things: 1. Studies come out showing that GLP-1 medications are effective at weight loss, without the downsides of earlier attempts. 2. The price of them drops to the point that there are studies that show that they are a cost-effective way to reduce costs to medical insurance - IE they reduce the rate of various obesity related illnesses and subsequent treatment costs more than their cost.

        Good points, you may well be right. Will be interesting to watch what happens anyway.

    • I'd be surprised if it's only a 10th. 74% of Americans are overweight. I think these drugs will do to body weight what birth control did to the fertility rate [statista.com]

      • I'd be surprised if it's only a 10th. 74% of Americans are overweight. I think these drugs will do to body weight what birth control did to the fertility rate [statista.com]

        Y'all may be right. It will be interesting to see, anyway.

  • no more obese fatasses waddling through walmart buying up tons of junkfood anymore, i say this is a good thing for the overall health of the nation, too bad for walmart, maybe get rid of the junkfood and include more of a variety of healthy foods, i am 63 years young, i walk from3 to 5 miles a day, i eat mostly fresh vegetables and some fruit, lots of beans & rice, and whole grain cereals, one egg a day and rarely eat a small portion of meat
    • These drugs at a few hundred a month subscription aren’t adjusting people’s diets, they are only blocking the effects of the pancreas. Once they get off the drugs, they back on fast food. Big pharma wins, poor lifestyles still lose. Drugs can’t fix poor diets and habits.

    • Aha! You must shop at Walmart!

  • Here in pill form is a solution to America's obesity epidemic, and many people, doctors even, will stand in its way and demand that people use the self restraint they haven't exhibited ever because... that's natural I guess? I'll take a pill that causes cancer in mice over obesity for health every time. Get over yourselves and stop letting perfect be the enemy of good. These need to be OTC now. Right now.
    • People love pills. And food. So .. any pill that allows me to continue to eat what I want... did I miss anything? Chaa ching!!

      I recall Zantac. Not that I took any. but the Ads. Shows Joe shoveling in pizza, beer, fried chicken, natchos ... played during NFL games. But I got the message. No need to change your crappy eating habits, just pay money and get a pill. Straight line back to pizza and beer. mmm.mmm. How much?

      Wasn't there a class action lawsuit about Zantac? triggering auto immune diseases like Lupus
      • You're dodging my point. People are eating what they want already. This pill makes them want it less. And imagining side effects by pointing out that medicines generally have those isn't helping to make your point. Show me the side effects of THIS DRUG that are so severe and common they outweigh the deadly effects of obesity. Just admit it: you want people to suffer and die if they're unwilling to do thing The Right Way, which means the hard way.
        • All "prescription drugs" have unwanted side effects. Take the pill, get the side effect. There will be class action lawsuits sooner or later.

          If you want a pill to let you eat crap, it will be popular. People want pizza and beer. I don't care one way or another how people eat, or die.

          Who makes Ozempic? Strong buy on the stock market.
          As usual this is about money, not people, or pizza.
          • All drugs have side effects. Are you going to keep repeating the same dodge? What side effects are there to THIS DRUG, not other drugs, not what you think it might do, actual proven side effects from the trials for this drug, that are so severe and common that an obese person generally has a higher risk from taking the drug? None? I thought so. You're just echoing the belief that if there's any alternative at all no one should take a drug. In fact it's safer for the average American (since the average Ameri
            • "So let them take this drug which will reduce the challenges of a modern world filled with calories. "
              Life is full of choices... you find the suggestion of eating a salad to be offensive?

              "Studies have shown that Zantac breaks down into a known cancer-causing agent."
              https://www.forbes.com/advisor/legal/product-liability/zantac-lawsuit/

              Chances that Ozempic isn't going to cause another worse problem are close to zero based on all that has come before.
              Enjoy your natchos.

  • There must be some way to circumvent the workings of ozempic somehow.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by yhetti ( 57297 )

      I've been diabetic for about 20 years now, mostly controlled through diet. I lost about 60lbs over three years - also mostly through diet. Aggressive low carb and IF. But I hit a hard wall and decided to switch from an oral "extra" (in addition to metformin) to try Ozempic. I could see ways that I could market/sell around it.

      The experience is a lot like The Sinclair Method (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Little_Pill) for alcoholism. I've not personally had that issue, but I've known people who had an

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by ghoul ( 157158 )
        I would love to take semaglutide for my uncontrolled diabetes and high triglycerides but I have a history of high triglyceride induced pancreatitis and no doctor will prescribe me a drug that stimulates the pancreas. They are afraid it will cause pancreatitis. So I have to try and deal with this by try and starving myself everyday (even if I eat normal amount of calories my cells are not getting the energy and send out signals which make my brain think I am starving)

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by yhetti ( 57297 )

          That's really tough, sorry to hear that. In my case, Oz drastically reduced my own triglycerides. Even after a ~2 week fast, my triglycerides were over 700. Nothing I've ever done has brought them down as quickly as Ozempic has. My primary is a D.O. and he's been fantastic to work with through all of this. I set the stage early on for my own risk tolerance and he's happy to work with me on self experimentation. Any doctor is hit-or-miss, but in my limited experience D.O.s have been more willing to wor

  • I hope so. I hope the US sugar cartel collapses and cheap sugar imports become available. Cheap enough so that people can produce ethanol for motor vehicle fuel at home.

  • Finally, a fight we can watch without guilt (Score:4, Interesting)

    by istartedi ( 132515 ) on Sunday June 02, 2024 @06:56PM (#64518545) Journal

    Big Pharma and the Corn Syrup lobbies duke out on Wall Street. It's an even match. Could go several hard fought rounds. I hope they both get beaten to a bloody pulp, collapse and die slowly of sepsis.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by ghoul ( 157158 )
      Sugar in large quantities poured into a wound will prevent sepsis.

      • Big Sugar: This will save us.

        Big Pharma: Not until I've conned the government in to giving me a monopoly on it in exchange for a study.

        Big Sugar: Curses!

  • On one hand, I have absolutely not one iota of compassion for the junk food industry.

    On the other, fuck absolutely every cunt taking Ozempic for weight loss.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by ghoul ( 157158 )
      Oh absolutely. After the fatties have been on Ozempic for a couple of years they become eminently fuckable cunts.

  • Holding out (Score:4, Interesting)

    by quantaman ( 517394 ) on Sunday June 02, 2024 @07:55PM (#64518643)

    The Ozempic thing sounds nice, but personally I'm waiting for an implant that converts blood sugar into electricity.

    I want to have my cake and eat it too, and then use the excess calories to charge my cell phone!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mjwx ( 966435 )

      The Ozempic thing sounds nice, but personally I'm waiting for an implant that converts blood sugar into electricity.

      I want to have my cake and eat it too, and then use the excess calories to charge my cell phone!

      Best I can do is a pair of trousers with a turbine that'll burn methane... Should be ample power given the diet of the average slashdotter.

  • And this little news-nugget tells you all about the priorities of corporate America.

    I rest my case.

  • Now, you can shrink the package sizes and double the price.
  • ... by the bought-and-paid-for U.S. Congress, and they shall prohibit appetite suppressants to protect thet saint-holy croporate bottom-line!

  • A little surprised no-one mentioned that the latest South Park "special" on Paramount+ covered this exact topic: obesity drugs vs. the sugar-based junk food industry. It was a mildly entertaining episode - poor old Lizzo got skewered by being an obesity drug for poor people and you can imagine that Cartman was predictably at the centre of much of the episode.

    Here in the UK, we've taken the first steps by introducing a "sugar tax" on soft drinks only, which has unfortunately lead to drinks companies simply

  • Dr. should be able to tell patient that you are on path to diabetes and you need to loose x pounds (or here is your shorter life version). Nowadays Dr will say you have high sugar and high risk (meaningless).
  • To quote the Black Lectroid Commander, "So what? Big deal."

    https://youtu.be/tIQqBlLR4u8 [youtu.be]

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