Because other interventions have the consequence of actually working.
If we compare the efficacy of "telling people to lose weight" vs taking ozempic, there is a stark contrast. Pooled results show that education and counselling[sic] did not significantly reduce weight (SMD –0.73, 95% CI –1.89 to 0.42, n = 3 studies; I 2 = 98%)[1]. The mean change in body weight from baseline to week 68 was −14.9% in the semaglutide group as compared with −2.4% with placebo[2].
Telling people to just lose weight is not an evidence-backed intervention to affect weight loss. Continuing to practice it is equivalent to practicing folk medicine or alternative medicine. Despite us wanting it to work, it does not. Like all interventions, pharmaceutical interventions have the possibility of side effects, and it's up to the patient and doctor to weight risk vs reward. There is variation in both for each case, but we have to keep in mind that the mere existence of side effects is not typically a reason for categorically deciding against using a drug.
My bad guys, didn’t mean to be negative in my original post.
Definitely lacking in compassion. Whether it be obesity or anorexia, these are almost always symptoms of something deeper underlying. I shouldn’t be so flippant.
I think I still have to stand by my belief that semaglutide won’t truly solve people’s relationship with food though. That requires going deeper than the temporary solution drugs might provide.
> I think I still have to stand by my belief that semaglutide won’t truly solve people’s relationship with food though.
That sounds fair. I see a lot of over/under weight results as a symptom of a maladaptive coping mechanism for some other issue. Sometimes the issue is simply not having meaning in one's life, but it really can be anything from depression, to anxiety, to lack of friends because of social phobias or low self-esteem.
Looking at this this way helped me find more compassion and less contempt. I hope it helps you too
If we compare the efficacy of "telling people to lose weight" vs taking ozempic, there is a stark contrast. Pooled results show that education and counselling[sic] did not significantly reduce weight (SMD –0.73, 95% CI –1.89 to 0.42, n = 3 studies; I 2 = 98%)[1]. The mean change in body weight from baseline to week 68 was −14.9% in the semaglutide group as compared with −2.4% with placebo[2].
Telling people to just lose weight is not an evidence-backed intervention to affect weight loss. Continuing to practice it is equivalent to practicing folk medicine or alternative medicine. Despite us wanting it to work, it does not. Like all interventions, pharmaceutical interventions have the possibility of side effects, and it's up to the patient and doctor to weight risk vs reward. There is variation in both for each case, but we have to keep in mind that the mere existence of side effects is not typically a reason for categorically deciding against using a drug.
1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7154644/
2. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2032183