The Washington Post is reporting that "industry insiders are gearing up for weight-loss drugs to shake up the consumer economy as they seep into every sector â including apparel, restaurants, grocery, gyms and travel. They are causing a 'psychological shift' for the people taking them, said Ali Furman, a partner in PwCâs U.S. consumer markets division. As their bodies change, she said, so are their decisions on how to spend their time and money."
In other words, they are going to change pretty much everything, and could have an unprecedented impact on the broader economy.
And here's the amazing thing: What we see at the moment may only be scratching the surface of what is possible. (More on that below.)
The Post points out that "in just over a year, the percentage of U.S. adults taking drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and Zepbound more than doubled to 12.4 percent, according to Gallup. The survey also reported that the obesity rate fell from almost 40 percent in 2022 to 37 percent in 2025. Some companies are already responding by acquiring health food brands, renovating hotel gyms and changing lunch menus. But thatâs only scratching the surfaceâ¦"
"With the elimination of 'food noise,' which can lead to bingeing and distracting thoughts about eating, GLP-1 users are cutting back on snacks and spending more on healthy items.
"Compared to non-GLP-1 households, GLP-1 users reduced their spending by 10 percent over a year across 100 categories including groceries, quick-service restaurants and tobacco, according to the data company Numerator.
In addition, the Post story says, "Studies show that GLP-1 drugs can suppress alcohol cravings among heavy drinkers. Users spent 14.5 percent less in the category after starting the treatment, while nonalcoholic wine and beer purchases among the group ballooned by 1,158 and 935 percent, respectively, according to NIQ. Meanwhile, high-protein drinks and probiotic soda brands that promote gut health â which are also popular among non-GLP-1 users â are seeing significant growth."
The most obvious way obesity drugs are not one-size-fits-all is that those on the market do not actually work for all. Although patients on semaglutide, the drug in Ozempic and Wegovy, lost on average 10 percent of their body weight, a third lost less than 5 percent in one clinical trial. Some even gain weight taking the drug. And others suffer such terrible side effects, including constant nausea and vomiting, that they cannot take it at all."
But you are absolutely right.... hub was a surfer boy his entire life -now at 69 he can bump his arm on a pillow and still bleed like crazy. Tissue skin.
But you are absolutely right.... hub was a surfer boy his entire life -now at 69 he can bump his arm on a pillow and still bleed like crazy. Tissue skin.
That looks like standard old man vessel fragility. My dad had it, and anyone who takes prednisone will get it. There's no bleeding problem per se - people don't get bleeding gums or noses because they still clot normally - but the vessels get more fragile as folks age so the simplest bump causes some blood to leak out, staining the skin like ink. And then, because of gravity, it all heads south into the hands or feet, making them swell a bit. So in this case, means nothing, IMHMO.
That looks like standard old man vessel fragility. My dad had it, and anyone who takes prednisone will get it. There's no bleeding problem per se - people don't get bleeding gums or noses because they still clot normally - but the vessels get more fragile as folks age so the simplest bump causes some blood to leak out, staining the skin like ink. And then, because of gravity, it all heads south into the hands or feet, making them swell a bit.
apparently, this pandemic wont have as large an impact on evoloution
The devastation of the plague pandemic left such an incredible genetic mark on humanity that it's still affecting our health nearly 700 years later.
Up to half of people died when the Black Death swept through Europe in the mid-1300s.
A pioneering study analysing the DNA of centuries-old skeletons found mutations that helped people survive the plague.
But those same mutations are linked to auto-immune diseases afflicting people today.
The Black Death is one of the most significant, deadliest and bleakest moments in human history. It is estimated that up to 200 million people died.
Researchers suspected an event of such enormity must have shaped human evolution. They analysed DNA taken from the teeth of 206 ancient skeletons and were able to precisely date the human remains to before, during or after the Black Death.
If you had the right mutations you were 40% more likely to survive the plague.
"That's huge, it's a huge effect, it's a surprise to find something like that in the human genome," Professor Luis Barreiro, from the University of Chicago, told me.
The gene's job is to make the proteins that chop up invading microbes and show the fragments to the immune system, priming it more effectively to recognise and neutralise the foe.
Ah, autumn! That time of year when âif you have already met your deductibleâ you take inventory of anything you can foresee that might become an issue in the next year, so you can get it taken care of before January. ORâif you have not met deductibleâ you make an X on the calendar, count the days until January 1 and ask yourself, "is it really so bad?"
My shoulder hurts like hell and the Xray shows some problems but whether it can be fixed thru surgery is unknown. So to go on, it needs an MRI, I guess. But there's no way to get the surgery scheduled before Dec. 31, and there's no way I'm putting the MRI on this year's billing and a surgery on next year's. So hey. Welcome to America.
that's quite a stutter you got there, mrshobiejoe. you should get that checked out. 
do you get Mitchell and Webb in the states?