Episode Details

Thinking of Taking Ozempic? (w/ Dr. Robert Todd Hurst)

Published 3 years, 6 months ago

Description

GLP-1 medications have been a lively topic of discussion nationwide for the last six months. Many voices have touted drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro as a new "miracle" weight loss cure. Meanwhile a handful of experts have raised important questions about the safety of such treatments.

In this thought-provoking interview, Dr. Robert Todd Hurst offers a stunning cost-benefit analysis of taking GLP-1 agonist medications in the long and short terms.

While there is no doubt that these medications can be highly effective in helping people drop significant amounts of weight, Hurst cogently argues that the net benefit and costs should be carefully considered before one undergoes any course of treatment.

Dr. Hurst is a board-certified preventative cardiologist and notable author of the WebMD Heart Health Blog. In 2022 he launched The Healthspan Podcast, where he shares insights from his work at the Mayo Clinic and his own HealthspanMD practice based in Phoenix, Arizona.

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SHOW NOTES

(00:00) - Introduction

(01:12) - GLP-1 agonists originally diabetes medications

(03:45) - later discovered to have remarkable weight loss benefits

(05:00) - "terrible" history of weight loss medications

(06:45) - unrecognized costs, not just financial

(09:30) - financial cost

(10:00) - gastrointestinal and physiological side effects

(11:40) - "muscle as youth," 40% lean muscle mass loss concerns

(13:30) - drawbacks of a "forever" medication

(15:00) - studies show about ⅔ of weight regained; people with only 5% body weight to lose are mostly heavier after treatment