We’ve all watched GLP-1 drugs move from medical niche to cultural phenomenon with astonishing speed. They’re in primetime ads, in celebrity interviews — and in our own lives too, whether we, a family member, or a friend have begun taking one of the several versions of the drug — Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound — on the market today. They are reshaping the landscape of weight loss and, increasingly, even some chronic diseases and substance-abuse issues. They have also shown promise for treating Alzheimer’s disease.
But in his new piece, Vox senior health correspondent Dylan Scott uncovers a far less publicized consequence of this revolution — one that patients are discovering only after the numbers on the scale go down: significant muscle loss.
What Dylan teases out — and what makes this reported story so essential — is that the issue isn’t simply biology, or even the drugs themselves. It’s the collision between a powerful medical tool and a national appetite for shortcuts.
Dylan’s reporting isn’t alarmist, it’s actionable. And if GLP-1s are here to stay — and they are — understanding their trade-offs is no longer optional.
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—Paige Vega, senior climate and Future Perfect editor
