FoodStuff by Kevin Ryan
Weight Loss Drugs Are Radically Changing Diet Culture
Here is a link to my last newsletter, in case you missed it.
This week, a shortened edition due to my overall busyness and the approaching holiday here in the US. I’ve also added in a large Gut Reaction for fun. Enjoy!
Anti-Obesity Drugs Are Radically Altering Diet Culture
If you’ve only been casually following the news about the new class of weight loss drugs like Ozempic, you might have missed the bigger picture. While our feeds are flooded with stories of celebrities shedding 50 pounds, social media influencers showing off dramatic transformations, and ads for drugs like Zepbound, Wegovy, and Contrave, there’s more to the story.
What’s not being widely discussed is the profound impact these drugs are having on our culture. Introducing such a transformative force targeting our bodies inevitably brings significant social consequences.
It’s been about a year since Ozempic entered the mainstream, and we’re starting to see the ripple effects on how society’s perception is shifting in terms diet and weight. The short story is: it’s changing everything. The longer story is that these drugs will have massive, long-lasting impacts on the food, supplement and fitness industries.
1. ‘Body Positivity’ Movement is in Crisis: Anyone studying weight management in the last decade has seen the rise in the body positivity movement. This movement pushed for an acceptance of different body sizes and questioned the dogmatic link between health and weight. High BMIs were discussed as natural, with the movement trying to erase the stigma of weight by explaining that sustained weight loss was not possible (and even detrimental) for some individuals. However, GLP-1 drugs are threatening to upend this narrative. As a recent article in The Cut entitled ‘So Was Body Positivity ‘All a Big Lie’?’ documents, some of the movement’s most vocal leaders are taking the drugs and making followers question its future (Ozempic was even targeting some leaders). We are facing a future where body positivity is deeply eroded due to the perceived ‘ease’ of losing weight via these drugs. Obesity, in the era of Ozempic, is reclassified not as a natural, acceptable variation but as a choice and a societal marker of income and access. If the social pendulum swings this way, it is possible that the social stigma of being overweight will become even stronger than before.
2. Much More Pain for the Gain (or Loss): If you ask people if taking drugs to lose weight is a good thing, most people (53%) say yes. However, social media is full of people ‘Ozempic shaming’ celebrities like Kelly Clarkson for allegedly dropping some weight with the help of medication. The reason for this apparent contradiction is twofold. First, people only see weight loss drugs as acceptable if they view the person taking them as obese. However, with 42% of the US obese, our perceptions of what constitutes obesity are highly skewed. When most people around you are overweight, what the definition of obesity changes and taking a weight loss drug for anything beyond severe health issues is seen as mere vanity. Second, we live in a society that believes in self-sufficiency and self control. Therefore, if you want to lose weight, willpower is viewed as the only option and some amount of personal sacrifice must be made to balance the assumed indulgences that contributed to the weight. ‘Taking the easy way’ via drugs is seen as ‘cheating’ and not fair to all the people that lost it through self-sacrifice. For that reason, I expect we’ll see more people showcasing the extreme physicality and mental discipline of their diets and fitness to offer contrast. I think programs like 75 Hard and rucking will grow in popularity and even more difficult programs will be created as anti-Ozempic counterbalances.
3. Stronger move to Natural Weight Loss Aids: Buzzfeed had a whole listicle recently showcasing the ’17 Celebs Who Dissolved Or Stopped Getting Facial Fillers (and Why).’ Its part of a larger trend in Hollywood and social media where people are backlashing against digital filters and plastic surgery and choosing to go natural. Weight loss seems to be approaching a similar moment. Social media is full of products claiming to be ‘nature’s Ozempic’ (see berberine) to signal similar results with all-natural ingredients (surprise: it doesn’t appear to work). That trend will likely continue. However, I also anticipate that people that are taking anti-obesity drugs will, counter-intuitively, look to natural supplements and natural foods for assistance. Combining the ‘artificiality’ of these anti-obesity drugs with the naturalness of foods and supplements will serve to mentally balance us. We see the same thing in other body-centric fitness areas (see body building, ‘natural steroid’ use and the combination of steroids with natural supplements).
Industry Implications: Surprisingly, and counter to many other predictions, my early conclusion about the impact of anti-obesity drugs is that they will be a net-positive on the food, beverage, supplement, and fitness industries. While there will be a large number of people that will initially lose an incredible amount of weight on these drugs, the inablity to stay on them long-term, the apparent rebound weight gain, the potential for negative health outcomes, and the reawakening (and strengthening) of the societal stigma around excess weight will likely supercharge the weight managment industry in general.
However, companies must approach all this with caution. Brands should focus on providing genuine health benefits through their products and services, avoiding the exploitation of consumer insecurities and stigma around weight and body image that will surely increase. While one strategy is to be a partner to anti-obesity drugs (e.g., nutrient dense snacks) another strategy is to be the foil to the potential fallout. If stigma and weight rebound occur, brands can be there to offer tried-and-true solutions that consumers can return to.
In the next few years, as these drugs become cheaper and more widely available, I believe we will see the above trends grow stronger. Brands need to prepare now for that future.
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