Obesity is a disease. The American Medical Association and the National Institutes of Health both said so when Bill Clinton was president. The conventional wisdom still holds that obese people are better off. Weight loss is assumed to be a function of diet and exercise, which is why get-fit-quick schemes focus on willpower. Genetics and environmental factors can make it difficult for some people to lose weight without help. There is a less intrusive option that is sitting on the shelf.
A group of drugs known as GLP-1s are prescription drugs. These compounds were designed for people with diabetes and have been shown to cause patients to lose weight. The chemical that helps people feel full after they eat is called glucagon-like peptide 1. According to one study, many people taking a newer GLP-1 drug called Saxenda lose at least 5% of their body weight. Older generic medications can cost patients as little as 15 a month, while new, brand-name GLP-1s can cost as much as 1,400 a month.
