#245 Ozempic. The truth about the side effects and risks of this Magic Pill with Johann Hari
30th Apr 2024
Johann Hari is back and he looks completely different to the last time I saw him. He’s lost an incredible amount of weight, his face looks completely different and it’s all because of a drug you’ve probably already heard of. Ozempic.
Also known as GLP-1 agonists, these drugs were initially used by doctors like myself in General Practice for type 2 diabetics, but have now found a use case to treat obesity.
For over a year, Johann has been self treating with the drugs and diving into the history of how these drugs were discovered and utilised. From the lab to the pharmaceutical companies & the doctors surgery to the popular pages of celebrity gossip columns; Johann tells the full story without shying away from the potentially dangerous reality of the sideffects and risks of these popular medications.
We talk about:
- What Ozepmic and similar drugs do to your brain and gut
- How it impacts addiction to food and other substances
- What the potential risks are including cancer, pancreatitis and bowel obstruction
- Why UPF and obesity are the main concern
You can purchase Johann’s newest book, ‘Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight Loss Drugs’, available on 2nd May 2024, here
Johann Hari is a New York Times best-selling author, his books include, ‘Chasing the Scream’, ‘Lost Connections’, and ‘Stolen Focus’. He has written for the world’s leading newspapers and magazines, and has twice been named ‘National Newspaper Journalist of the Year’ by Amnesty International.
Content Correction Note:
During this podcast with Johann Hari, discussing the new weight-loss drugs, (at circa 1m 44s) - Johann mentioned that the British food critic Jay Rayner took Ozempic and subsequently lost his pleasure in food. This comment was incorrect and it was, in fact, a different writer.
We apologise for any confusion caused here.
Episode guests
Johann Hari is an internationally bestselling author. His first book, Chasing the Scream, was a New York Times bestseller and is being adapted into a Hollywood feature film.
His second book, Lost Connections, was a Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller. He has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Le Monde and others, and he was twice named Newspaper Journalist of the Year by Amnesty International.
His TED Talk, ‘Everything You Think You Know About Addiction Is Wrong’, and the animation based on it, have had more than twenty million views. His books have been translated into eighteen languages.
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