Medicare Steps Up on Obesity Care. Will Health Insurers?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an extension of its GLP‑1 Bridge program through 2027, offering seniors obesity drugs at a $50 monthly copay. The bridge operates outside Medicare Part D, removing financial risk for private insurers. CMS also outlined the longer‑term BALANCE model, which would integrate GLP‑1 coverage into Part D but remains voluntary for insurers. Major payers such as CVS and UnitedHealth have signaled they will not participate, citing cost and operational concerns.
GLP-1 May Only Be the Beginning, Not the End of the Story
Researchers led by Richard DiMarchi and Matthias Tschöp published a paper in Molecular Metabolism showing that triple agonist retatrutide can drive weight loss even when GLP‑1 signaling is blocked. Their preclinical work demonstrates that co‑activating GIP and glucagon receptors produces...
A Closer Look at Body Composition in Obesity Drug Trials
A new systematic review of 36 randomized controlled trials, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, reveals that obesity medications often cause a sizable loss of lean mass. In 65% of drug trials, more than a quarter of total weight loss...
A Treasure Trove of Food for Thought From Julia Belluz
Julia Belluz’s New York Times essay examines GLP‑1 medicines as broad metabolic tools, not merely weight‑loss drugs. She outlines emerging cardiometabolic, brain‑health, and inflammation benefits while stressing that scientific proof lags behind rapid real‑world adoption. The piece gives weight to patient experiences...
Your Chatbot Is Likely Not a Reliable Source on Nutrition
A BMJ Open study by Nicholas Tiller et al. evaluated five chatbots across five medical topics and found that overall half of the AI‑generated answers were problematic. Nutrition performed the worst, with nearly 75% of responses containing errors, and physical performance...
Strong Feelings on Sweeteners Don’t Match the Data
Public anxiety about artificial sweeteners remains high, with 74% of parents believing they are harmful, fueled by WHO warnings and sensational headlines. However, recent human research tells a different story. A large observational study of three U.S. cohorts found that...
Does the History of Insulin Rhyme with GLP-1s?
Liam Shaw’s essay draws a parallel between the debut of insulin and today’s GLP‑1 receptor agonists, arguing that both transformed their respective diseases while spawning new complexities. Insulin’s miracle cure introduced issues of affordability, access, and treatment intensification, a pattern...
GLP-1 Tablets and the Shift in Discourse About Obesity
Foundayo, the first oral non‑peptide GLP‑1 tablet, received FDA approval last week, marking a new chapter in obesity treatment and intensifying competition with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill. The launch coincides with a measurable shift in media coverage: mentions of obesity...
Connecting Science with Real Life at the OAC Convention
The Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) Convention will take place July 23‑25 in Orlando, bringing together researchers, clinicians, policymakers, industry leaders, and people living with obesity. The three‑day event emphasizes translating the latest scientific advances—such as emerging medications and lifestyle interventions—into practical...
Type 2 Diabetes in Youth Has Risen 70% Since 2013
New research in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that type 2 diabetes among U.S. youth surged 70% between 2013 and 2024, climbing from 0.73 to 1.24 cases per 1,000. The rise is most pronounced in older adolescents, females, and...
Ready to Rethink the Bias Embedded in Prevention?
A new paper in *Current Obesity Reports* challenges the entrenched bias that frames obesity prevention as a matter of personal responsibility. It argues that decades of investment in “eat less, move more” campaigns have failed because they ignore the complex...
Falling Out of Love on Obesity Medicines?
Recent media stories claim experimental obesity drugs like retatrutide cause people to lose romantic feelings and could trigger a divorce surge. The Guardian and Telegraph pieces rely on TikTok anecdotes and indirect data from bariatric surgery, not clinical evidence. Experts...
AHA Guidance on Plants, Meat, and Saturated Fat
The American Heart Association released a nine‑point dietary guidance that emphasizes plant‑based protein, low‑fat dairy, and limiting saturated fat to 10 percent of calories. The plan contrasts with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s recent push for more red meat and...
Unfinished Business in Diagnosing Clinical Obesity
The Lancet Commission introduced a new framework for diagnosing clinical obesity that emphasizes causal links between excess adiposity and disease. The Endocrine Society’s recent guidance pauses full endorsement, citing practical and equity concerns, especially the Commission’s exclusion of type 2...
The Competitive Fiction of a “Best” Obesity Treatment
Novo Nordisk issued a press release claiming its Wegovy (semaglutide) tablets outperform the newly approved orforglipron (Foundayo) tablets, basing the claim on a simulated treatment comparison to be presented at the Obesity Medicine Association meeting. The article warns that such...
Headline Vs. Study, Economics Edition
A JAMA research letter examined the CMS BALANCE model, estimating that treating 550,000 to 3.6 million Medicare beneficiaries with semaglutide could generate savings sufficient to offset program costs. The study presented a range of possible budget outcomes and concluded that additional...
What Will Approval of Foundayo GLP-1 Tablets Bring?
The FDA has approved Foundayo (orforglipron), the first non‑peptide oral GLP‑1 tablet for obesity. As a small‑molecule drug, it sidesteps the manufacturing complexities that plagued peptide injectables like semaglutide and tirzepatide. Daily oral dosing promises easier adherence compared with weekly...
New Analysis Says GLP-1s Will Reverse Climate Change
A new analysis in the Journal of Global Metabolic Systems proposes that widespread use of GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs could help reverse climate change. By reducing overall caloric demand, the model predicts lower livestock production, especially beef and dairy, leading to...
Get Ready for a Crisis in Food Prices and Insecurity
The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran is sharply disrupting both oil and fertilizer supplies. Crude prices have jumped more than 50% while fertilizer costs have risen 30‑40% as a third of global trade passes through the...
Setting Goals Beyond Weight at the OC Summit
At the Obesity Canada Summit, clinicians, patients, and advocates argued that obesity care should target health outcomes beyond weight loss. A new paper in *Diabetes, Obesity, and Metabolism* proposes a co‑design framework that integrates cardiometabolic risk, physical function, quality‑of‑life, and...