Looking for Magic in GLP-1 to Defeat Ultra-Processed Foods

With detailed reporting in New York Times Magazine, Tomas Weber suggests that GLP-1 medicines “turn consumers off ultra-processed foods” and threaten to “crush the junk-food business.” He has woven a great collection of anecdotes into an appealing narrative. For instance, Kathleen Kenney has lost more than 100 pounds on these advanced medicines. She tells a focus group that a Hostess HoHo no longer tastes like food to her: “It tastes plasticky. Or feels plasticky in my mouth.”

Weber describes near magical revivals of an appreciation for real food from other participants in this qualitative research:

“Almost everyone’s cravings for ultra-processed foods had been replaced with a lust for fresh and unpackaged alternatives. A 32-year-old scientist who works in a university chemistry department spoke about discovering, for the first time, the true flavor of food. ‘Celery tastes like celery,’ she told the group. ‘And carrot tastes like carrot. Strawberry tastes like strawberry.’ Since taking Wegovy, she said, ‘I just started to realize that they taste wonderful by themselves.’”

Thin Science Mixed with an Appealing Story

This narrative is appealing. Ultra-processed foods are the 21st century incarnation of the ancient concept of unclean foods, so the thought that GLP-1 medicines might slay that dragon really feels good.

But the science to support such a bold story is not totally convincing. To prop this narrative up, one might turn to a recent preprint by Rafa Khan and Richard Doty. They have observational data from 46 persons taking a GLP-1 and 46 matched controls that show an association of GLP-1 use with a depression of taste scores. They write:

“This study demonstrates, for the first time, that GLP-1 RAs alter the function of a major sensory system, significantly depressing the perception of all five basic taste qualities. The physiologic basis of this effect is unknown, but may involve GLP-1 receptors in the brainstem and afferent taste pathways, as well as vagus nerve-related processes.”

We do not doubt that new obesity medicines will have very real effects on food preferences. But expecting them to vanquish the dragon of ultra-processed foods is a bit of a stretch. No doubt, over time, a more realistic picture of the interaction of these medicines with prospects for the food industry will emerge.

Click here for free access to Weber’s reporting and here for the preprint by Khan and Doty.

Ultra-Processed Flatbread, photograph by Ted Kyle / ConscienHealth

Subscribe by email to follow the accumulating evidence and observations that shape our view of health, obesity, and policy.

November 20, 2024