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Recently, these medications have become extremely popular, in part due to offlabel use.
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Whileresearchsuggests having a higher weight may increase your risk for certain conditions, people can behealthy at every size.
These conversations require nuance, and we hope to provide it.
And in certain cases, studies have uncovered potential mechanisms behind those connections.
What they found is that obesity indeed has no singular manifestation.
Its the reason BMI is known to overestimate risk in Black folks and underestimate it in Asian people.
And since it doesnt account for body composition, it fails in people with lots of muscle too.
Case in point: Olympic medalistIlona Maher and her overweight BMI of 29.3.
(Note that the wordcomorbidityis problematic for implying that weight is always the first, well, morbidity.)
So is obesity a disease?
That leaves the cultural piece of the controversy.
But of course a blanket designation of obesity as an illness unfairly pathologizes all large bodies.
Its helpful to think of body weight regulation like body temperature regulation, Dr. Rubino says.
Here, youll find a breakdown of the routes through which having more body fat might affect health.
To compensate, your pancreas will work over time to pump out more insulin, Dr. Jensen says.
Remember how we said fat was bioactive?
Well, thats notjustabout visceral fat getting inflamed and leaky.
Both visceral and subcutaneous fats also contain the enzyme aromatase, which converts androgens like testosterone into estrogen.
Your respiratory system might also bear the physical brunt.
Hence why obesity and depression can become avicious cycle.
As mentioned, anti-fat bias in medical prefs is also proven to negatively impact care outcomes.
(Head this way for ourguide to finding a fat-friendly doctor.)
Despite the health risks of having a higher weight, losing weight is far from a panacea.
In fact, for some people it can have negative repercussions.
The truth is, theres no straight line between pounds lost and health gained.
And research also suggests both lifestyle- and medication-driven weight loss can ease symptoms ofsleep apneaandosteoarthritis.
(Meaning, weight loss may not deserveallthe credit.)
Weight loss is notoriously hard to sustainand focusing on healthy behaviors may be a better tack.
As many as 80 to 95% of people who lose substantial weight gain it back.
The reasons why are complex.
Evolutionarily, this kind of rejiggering, or adaptation, wouldve helped prevent starvation, Dr. Fitch points out.
Like all other animals, we respond to our surroundings, Dr. Laughlin says.
Theres something about a food-rich environment that puts our brains on high alert for finding and consuming it.
Thats where the role of prescription weight loss drugs, including GLP-1s, can come into play.
Its also completely valid to pursue weight loss as a means of avoiding pervasive anti-fat stigma.
