With more than 113 million people watching Super Bowl ads last night, this drug delivery company has garnered a lot of attention for painting a tragic–and accurate–picture of obesity in America. Then, they presented their GLP-1 agonist injections as the path forward.

GLP-1s have been shown to help patients lose weight, reverse Type 2 Diabetes, improve cardiac function, help with addiction and more, but these treatments come with potential long-term risks such as loss of muscle and bone mass, an association with increased thyroid cancer, and drug dependency.

The cost of the named brand versions–Wegovy and Ozempic–tally up to more than $1,000 per month. Compounded “generics,” like those featured in the Super Bowl ad are fractions of that price tag. But they are not FDA approved.

GLP-1s are interesting because their primary mechanism of action is limiting the insulin response, which is why they were first approved to treat Type 2 Diabetes. The other well known fix for controlling insulin is the MetFix diet, which limits carb intake. MetFix promotes the well established theory that metabolic flexibility is integral to fitness and insulin resistance is the breeding ground for all chronic illnesses. (Lots of this in our educational offerings coming soon.)

With millions of people on these meds we’re going to be diving into what coaches need to know to best help their athletes who have chosen to take them. There is a growing body of research showing that the MetFix prescription is likely the perfect supplement for those on GLP-1s–we need to do that study!

These meds are a good case study on risk-reward in medicine. One could argue that a hypertensive, 80-year-old with Type 2 Diabetes would benefit from a GLP-1 because it would reduce their risk of all those comorbidities and others they’re at risk of acquiring–extending life expectancy significantly. Whereas, a 20-year-old looking to drop 15 pounds would potentially be putting themselves at risk for long-term consequences.

So what do you think? Are you into GLP-1s? Are they another quick fix destined to set people up for failure? Are they more than a bandaid for those struggling to stick to a health plan? Do you think people need to face the music and skip the meds in favor of diet and exercise? Has this come up in your gym?