Abstract

The rise of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) has created widespread consumer intrigue as public perception created a narrative around how it is a silver-bullet medication for weight loss. While these medications show genuine promise for treating diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, several companies saw an opportunity to use the GLP-1 RA craze as a marketing gimmick. Predatory marketing tactics, including misleading "Ozempic dupes" and insensitive brand campaigns, exploit consumer ignorance and minimize the severity of these prescription drugs by treating it like a consumer wellness product. Furthermore, social media and celebrities often oversimplify the complex, individualized nature of weight management treatment. In a world where misinformation is in abundance, the responsibility for accurate information lies with both consumers to seek out credible sources and brands to honestly represent their product without watering down the clinical significance of GLP-1 RA medication.

Introduction

The rise of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) has created a perfect storm of consumer confusion, where public understanding is shaped not by medical evidence but by a chaotic blend of social media influencers, sensationalized news coverage, and brands trying to capitalize on the hype. The average consumer lacks understanding of how these drugs actually work, their appropriate uses, and their potential risks. Public perception of GLP-1RAs are increasingly driven by narratives claiming it is a miracle weight-loss solution, rather than a medication best coupled with lifestyle behavior-change strategies. The consumer knowledge gap has dangerous implications: when prescription drugs are marketed and discussed like consumer packaged goods, critical considerations about individual needs, long-term effects, and the comprehensive care approach required for effective treatment may be overlooked. Factual consumer education and disclaimers from brands, celebrities, and health care professionals is vital to foster the trust necessary for anyone to make an informed decision about their personal weight management journey.

So, what is a GLP-1?

Natural GLP-1 is a hormone that the body produces to regulate digestion, blood sugar, and appetite regulation. Drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro are GLP-1 RAs that mimic the action of natural GLP-1 in the body (1). Although these medications have become well-known recently, GLP-1 RA treatment was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005. It took until 2014 for the first GLP-1 to be approved for weight loss in obese patients and has continued to grow in popularity since then, with the sale of GLP-1 RAs reaching $22 billion in 2022 (2). While these drugs have made a major impact on treatment for diabetes management, obesity treatment, and cardiometabolic health, there is still a lot to be learned about GLP-1 RAs.

Most consumers associate GLP-1 RAs with only weight management, but the different brand names are approved for different uses. For example, Ozempic is a medication called semaglutide that was approved to treat Type 2 diabetes and help control blood sugar, whereas Wegovy (which is also a semaglutide injection) is approved specifically for chronic weight management (1). These GLP-1 RAs serve different purposes based on the dose and how it is taken, but these nuances are not what make the headlines. The GLP-1 RA that is most appropriate to use should be based on individual profiles, and the treatment plan should be supervised by medical professionals to ensure the drugs are used appropriately. Unfortunately, context does not garner as much attention which has led to these medications being commercialized in novel, misleading ways to push consumer intrigue.

Keeping up with the Consumer

In behavioral science, the endowment effect describes how people value something more when they cannot access it. High prices and drug shortages made GLP-1 RAs feel even more desirable throughout the past year’s boom, creating a perfect opportunity for predatory marketing. "Ozempic dupes" flooded the market and deliberately misled consumers who could not afford or access the real medications. Celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian capitalized on this GLP-1 craze by producing supplements such as Lemme GLP-1 Daily Support Capsules (3). These supplements require no prescription or medical consultation because they contain no GLP-1, synthetic GLP-1, or anything that would qualify them as GLP-1 RAs. Yet, the capsules claim to support weight management and metabolic health while clearly keeping “GLP-1” in the product title. This questionable labeling can mislead consumers into purchasing products they believe are something entirely different. Consumers are vulnerable to misinterpreting labels, which is why it is especially important that companies are held accountable for their messaging and communication around drug-related products.

Brands also saw the popularity of GLP-1 RAs as a marketing opportunity to stay relevant; however, carelessly attempting to fit into trending topics can lead to major pushback. The food delivery service GoPuff received a lot of backlash when they had an “Ozempic Week” (4). Gopuff’s initiative included an ad displaying the Ozempic shot look out of stock and low calorie snack foods being sold at a discount. This campaign failed to connect with consumers, sparking scrutiny online about how confused and upset consumers were at this insensitive attempt to make light of a serious topic. Weight stigma has so many biases both in and out of healthcare, and Gopuff’s Ozempic Week spotlights the oversimplified portrayal of many people’s complex relationship with food and health.

The value of a whole picture

Several celebrities, from Oprah Winfrey to Mindy Kaling, have faced similar backlash for either sharing and denying their use of GLP-1 RAs. Those that disclosed their use of GLP-1 RAs were often discredited for taking the “easy way out” when in reality, the success of these types of medications include behavioral change like an exercise regimen or adjusting sleep routines. Habits around diet and exercise are some of the most ingrained behaviors in our daily routine, thus being one of the most triggering and challenging cycles to retrain. As more celebrities openly discuss their experiences with GLP-1 RAs, it can give consumers insight into how individualized the approach, response, and considerations are for this type of treatment. Rather than a standalone solution for weight management, GLP-1 RAs are one piece of the overall treatment plan. Honest depictions of what the medical journey looks like builds credibility around GLP-1 RAs and exposes the public to what true comprehensive care entails.

Conclusion

The commercialization of GLP-1 RA’s as miracle weight-loss medications shows the lack of consumer education around it. Brands, social media, and celebrities actively shape the cultural framing of GLP-1 RAs, yet rarely provide resources or factual guidance consumers are seeking out. Companies that market GLP-1 RAs like wellness products rather than prescription drugs, grossly oversimplify the complexity of this medical treatment. Weight management is an individualistic process that must account for factors from genetics to socioeconomics to coping skills. Having medical support ensures that the drugs are used appropriately with proper guidance. However, the current narrative around GLP-1 RAs strips away this medical context in favor of before-and-after transformation stories.

As research and medicine learns more about the opportunities with GLP-1 RAs, consumers must evaluate where information comes from to determine how much credibility to give it. Medical advice should come from those who have credentials in this niche, while social media or celebrity stories serves as a form of peer support and personal experiences. The responsibility lies not just with consumers to seek credible sources, but with brands and influencers to stop treating life-changing medications like trend opportunities. Unlike a fashion fad or new recipe, misinformation around GLP-1 RAs can lead to life altering consequences that deserves the highest level of caution and care.

*Note: The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policy of any affiliated organization, employer, or company.

Obviously, implementing lifestyle as medicine at a large scale involves some hurdles. To overcome them, we will require innovation, creativity and ecosystem-thinking, combined with biomedical and digital technology and novel solutions from agri- and food. Moreover, new governmental policies should support such changes in order to sustain them.

One of the biggest challenges is the achievement of a long-term lifestyle behaviour change in people with a chronic disease. Here, personalisation comes into play. Ideally, biological cause as well as socioeconomic and cultural background, personality, preferences and goals should be considered in the treatment. In type 2 diabetes, for example, it is known that different subtypes of the disease exist with a different biological cause, etiology and complications, requiring a tailored treatment strategy. Furthermore, it is pivotal to make the invisible visible, especially to show the impact of the lifestyle treatment and a person’s behaviour on the biological cause of the disease. In particular, continuous monitoring coupled with just-in-time adaptive interventions have shown to be very powerful in lifestyle behaviour change and in stimulating people to regain to healthy habits in case of a relapse. Blended solutions, in which digital health innovations are combined with face-to-face contact from healthcare professionals, lifestyle coaches, peers, peer coaches or buddies showed to be scalable and cost-effective for lifestyle medicine.

The ‘magic pill’ for chronic, lifestyle-related diseases is personalised lifestyle medicine. For this, we need all of you! To achieve a healthy society in which we live long and in good health, we need to collaborate and combine forces to create fun, tasty, convenient and easy-to- adopt agri and food and high-tech solutions. If we work together, a very large market will welcome us and more importantly we can help to reduce the chronic disease burden and to maintain a high quality health care system.