During a recent appearance on the PBD Podcast, Dr. Rhonda Patrick, a biomedical scientist with a PhD in aging and metabolism research, shared her perspective on GLP-1 receptor agonist medications like Ozempic and Wegovy.
Her comments came in response to recent celebrity endorsements, including Serena Williams’ Super Bowl commercial and Oprah Winfrey’s statements about obesity genetics.
When host Patrick Bet-David raised the topic of GLP-1s, Dr. Patrick didn’t mince words. She explained that the fundamental issue lies in how society has come to view weight management.
The discussion centered on a clip from The View where Oprah claimed that being overweight wasn’t her fault but rather a genetic issue.
Dr. Patrick firmly disagreed with this framing. “There’s no just obesity gene,” she stated clearly. She explained that while certain genetic variations can predispose someone to gaining weight more easily and affect satiation, obesity is not predetermined by a single gene. What particularly concerned her was the message this sends to the general public.
The scientist then detailed the science behind weight gain and insulin resistance. She described studies where healthy men were placed on high-calorie, ultra-processed food diets for just five days.
According to the results, their brains became insulin resistant, leading to a cascade of metabolic problems. When the brain becomes insulin resistant, the body starts storing visceral fat around organs rather than subcutaneous fat under the skin. This visceral fat creates inflammation and perpetuates a cycle of overeating and metabolic dysfunction.
However, Dr. Patrick emphasized that this process is reversible. By reducing calorie intake through methods like intermittent fasting or calorie counting, people can reset their hormones and lose visceral fat.
She personally practices intermittent fasting, typically eating her first meal around noon after stopping dinner at 6 PM, creating an 18-hour fasting window.
When asked directly whether she would recommend GLP-1s for someone weighing 320 lbs (145 kg) at 5’8″ tall, Dr. Patrick was clear: “Absolutely not. That’s not what I’m saying at all. I think it’s better if you can do it yourself.”
She explained that rapid weight loss from these medications can increase the risk of gallbladder stones and potentially thyroid cancer, based on animal studies. There are also risks of pancreatitis associated with GLP-1 use.
Her main objection centered on effort and sustainability. “Doing intermittent fasting or counting calories does require effort,” she explained. “Whereas taking a pill does not. The pill does it for you.”
She noted that while GLP-1s cause satiation by slowing gastric emptying, people can achieve similar results through dietary changes without the side effects.
That said, Dr. Patrick acknowledged that for someone who is severely affected by obesity, where obesity itself accelerates aging and increases cancer risk, anything that helps with weight loss could be beneficial. But she made clear this was a last resort, not a first-line recommendation.
She expressed particular concern about the message sent by celebrity endorsements. “The average woman looks at this and says if she couldn’t do it naturally, why should I try to do it naturally with exercise?” Dr. Patrick observed.
