Luca Pietro0:00 Obesity is rapidly declining in the United States, and this is really due to a few main reasons.0:06 First off, uh with all these new Ozempic and weight loss drugs, uh lots of people are taking them, and as a result, um it's doing exactly what they say they'll do and it's helping people lose weight.0:19 Um so last year 23 states had an obesity percentage of 35% of the population.0:27 Uh this year it dropped down to 19, and the trend has been going like that for the past five years or so, ever since these Ozempic drugs really became popular.0:35 Uh something else that I think uh isn't being taken account for is that typically you have a larger population of obesity in the low-income areas where there's food deserts and people don't have the same access to healthy food and uh healthy alternatives as higher income neighborhoods with grocery stores like Whole Foods and uh different different stores like that.0:57 So I think it's really interesting to see if there's any sort of effect on the socioeconomic factor of that, um, whether or not um that that factor is not being taken into account, uh especially with a lot of minority groups um tend to live in these uh low economic, low-income zones.1:18 So uh I don't know if that's that's something to be taken account of, but I think the whole the whole topic's pretty interesting.
Wesley Joyce0:00 Luke, I had no idea that obesity was declining at such a fast rate in America.0:04 It's honestly very encouraging to hear America has such a poor reputation.0:08 And we have so many obese people and they're just living unhealthy lifestyles and you know it is unfortunate that some of the people, you know, they don't know anything else other than processed foods and unhealthy things because they come from some of these areas to struggle um with the food deserts like you mentioned.0:28 That's something that's been talked about a lot um recently in the past few years, or at least I've heard a lot more.0:34 Um But something that I have always wondered is it is OZIP too good to be true?0:41 Like it really feels like um it's a miracle drug and I just can't I can't I can't believe there won't be some sort of repercussions with these people.0:50 Um I know like my grandmother-in-law who's since passed, but she had uh surgery to I forget what the surgery was, but it was pretty common back in the day, but essentially like tie a knot around your stomach to like shrink it.1:06 And when she got older and she was sick, that really came back to bite her because she could hardly digest food and her stomach is awful.1:14 So um I feel like Ozempic can't be this good.1:18 Um and it's crazy how many people are on it, even people who aren't obese who just want to lose, you know, a few extra pounds.1:25 Um so yeah, I feel like there has to be something coming.1:29 I hope not.1:30 I mean I know a bunch of people who have taken it, but um it sounds a little too good to be true, but it is encouraging to see obesity numbers declining in America.
Thomas Freer0:00 You know what Luca, those are all great points you bring up.0:03 And I think that one thing people are really um not looking into is the potential long-term effects of some of these drugs like Ozempic.0:12 Um they've become so popular recently, obviously helping to drive down obesity rates in the US, which is great in terms of the health of our population, but you know this is this drug is pretty new.0:23 If there's serious long-term effects, this could be affecting millions of people down the line, and we're just not totally sure what's going on there.0:31 And one more thing you brought up about um you know higher obesity rates and food desert locations and lower income areas, and I think that's even more interesting because those those um areas obviously are not gonna have as much access to the Ozempic and other drugs because they're so extremely expensive.0:52 So that's just another another limitation to um to um affecting the health of of those areas.
Vansh Patel0:00 Luca, I think you brought up an interesting topic and something I actually wasn't aware of.0:05 Obesity rates declining is something that's pretty fascinating because you really wouldn't expect it right now with uh with salaries not increasing and the prices of living just going up.0:19 Uh most people aren't able to afford healthy groceries anymore, and they have to rely on fast food to uh just survive and that really doesn't do anything but increase uh obesity rates.0:33 So for obesity rates to be declining, it's a very interesting issue or uh a benefit actually.0:40 Uh I think like you mentioned, one of the factors that could be contributing to that is the rise of OZIMPIC.0:47 I think a lot of people are misusing OZEMPIC uh for what it was intended and instead taking it for weight loss and it seems to work.0:58 We are unsure of the long-term benefits is now uh of its health uh or long-term health concerns, but as of now it it is concluding to weight loss in extreme cases, and I think that's a potential factor that's leading to the decline in obesity rates.1:19 And another thing I think is the rise of social media.1:23 Uh I think people are far more far just more out there than they used to be.1:30 People's your photo is now in so many different places uh that it just did not used to be.1:38 You uh you see yourself so much more often now.1:42 I think the rise of consciousness uh is a major factor in the decline of obesity.1:48 I think people are starting to become health conscious and figure conscious.1:52 I know body dysmorphia is a big thing.1:54 Uh but at the end of the day it is leading to possible decline rates of obesity because people care more about their public image and their public figure.2:04 And another thing is with teenagers, uh the gym is becoming more common.2:09 I know it's always really been there, but with the rise of influencers in the gym and I think it's starting to become a trend uh of going to the gym, and I think that does nothing but benefits our population.2:24 I mean for the gym to be a safe space and for it to be a place of uh enjoyment for many teens out there, I think that's beneficial to us.2:36 Uh just having the gym and social media be kind of I'm not sure how to word this, but a policing force of just making sure you're on track uh with your health.2:54 Uh it may sound bad, but I think having those efforts of keeping up with your public image uh I think is at the end of the day beneficial to most people's health.3:09 And I think that's a possible reason why obesity rates may be declining.3:13 So I think you brought up an excellent point.
Om Patel0:00 Hey Luca, you actually brought something to my attention that I did not know was occurring.0:05 Um You know, I always kind of was under the impression that obesity was going up in the United States of America just because of the you know the large access to unhealthy foods and the level of regulation that we have compared to other countries like Europe, you know, it's not as high.0:23 So I think that the obesity rates declining is actually a good thing.0:28 I mean, you know, I I know a lot of that um is accounted or is a lot a lot of that is due to because of um different weight loss drugs like Ozempic.0:38 Um but honestly, if it's a drug that many people aren't facing serious backlash with in terms of side effects and whatnot, it might be a good solution to you know a lot of these issues.0:47 I think having obesity as low as it can be in the United States is gonna be a great thing.0:51 You know, when we think of the United States, I would like to think of it as somewhere where you know your access to healthy food is just as high as other countries like Europe or Asia.1:00 So um that's definitely an interesting topic you brought up.1:04 Um I wasn't aware of some of the things you brought out or pointed out, but it's actually it's really interesting to hear about those things.1:11 Um But yeah, I just continue to hope that people are healthy um and continue to leave live a healthier lifestyle.1:17 I think the sentiment has kind of changed from you know being okay with eating out McDonald's, Burger King and all these other places to more like Chipotle, sweet green, you know, kava, whatever it may be, but it's definitely a good improvement in my eyes.1:33 Um and I'd I'd like to see what other people have to say about this.
Leeza Kurtz0:00 Yeah, that's a great point.0:01 I think that at first, when you know, all these new Osympic medications started being made available, it didn't actually have a great impact on obesity rates.0:14 But as it's become more accessible and cheaper, the more people are able to access it, and the more obesity declines.0:22 But there will always be an economic barrier there to access to these medications.0:27 Like, yes, it's been made a lot cheaper, but there are some still people who can't afford it, you know, because that's just how the world works.0:36 So I think what we're gonna see in the next couple years is a very, very dramatic gap between economic classes and weights.0:51 I think there will be like a certain cutoff almost of um, you know, income where people will not be able to afford um these Ozympic medications, and I think almost everyone above that socioeconomic barrier will be able who will be able to afford it, will start to be convinced to take it.1:16 You know, there obviously are still some people who are against it for own personal reasons, but we've seen it take over our country by storm.1:24 So I think as it becomes more of a social norm, people who can access it will start to access it, and we will see a very dramatic um almost I guess weight gap.1:38 You know, it's funny, we usually say wage gap, but weight gap between the economic classes, and it'll be interesting to see how that turns out, or if it will to continue to become cheaper and more accessible.1:51 We'll we we'll see.