NEW DELHI: The rising obesity levels in the US may be curbed by ‘new appetite inhibiting drugs’, said Elon Musk on Saturday.
The tech billionaire said this as a reply to a user on the social media platform X.com, who stated rising levels of obesity in the US.
“40 per cent of Americans are obese, ” said the user, citing 2018 data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation data
“They will plummet with the new appetite-inhibiting drugs, ” replied Musk.
Obesity is known to have significant negative consequences that can take a huge toll on both a person’s health as well as increase the country’s health burden. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2 in 5 adults in the country have obesity.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines obesity as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, and those with a BMI of 25 and above as overweight. The chronic complex condition leads to excessive fat deposits which can impair health by leading to diabetes, hypertension, cancers, and a host of other issues.
In 2022, 1 in 8 people in the world were living with obesity. Over 390 million children and adolescents aged 5-9 years were overweight in 2022, including 160 million who were living with obesity, as per the WHO.
In 2022, a novel drug called Semaglutide, marketed as Ozempic and Wegovy by Novo Nordisk was introduced as a weight loss medication. These were originally prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes.
In 2023, Musk said he lost about 20 pounds by using Wegovy and by practising intermittent fasting -- restricted eating during specific windows of time.
Semaglutide drug mimics glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) -- a hormone that is naturally released after the intake of food.
The drug connects with the GLP-1 receptors in the body, making a person feel less hungry and fuller. The weekly injection has been shown to benefit people with obesity by offering an alternative to weight loss surgery.