Chart Friday 7/2/25
The wider impacts of weight loss drugs (GLP1s)
Welcome to another edition of Chart Friday! This week I decided to focus on a topic which has been present in the media this week, and what seems to be every other week - the miracle weight loss drugs. Also known as GLP1s. Common media names for them are Wegovy and Ozempic (both are the same medicine but under different brand names).
They work by mimicking the natural GLP1 hormone in the body resulting in:
Triggering insulin release from your pancreas: Resulting in decreased blood sugar.
Blocking glucagon secretion: Prevents more glucose from entering the bloodstream.
Slowing stomach emptying: Slower digestion means that your body releases less glucose (sugar) from the food you eat into your bloodstream.
Increasing how full you feel after eating (satiety): GLP-1 affects areas of your brain that processes hunger and satiety.
But enough of the chemistry/pharmacy lesson. Today's chart shows the impact weight loss drugs have had on grocery spending, 6 months after their adoption.
What's clear is that although there is a lot of mixed reviews on GLP1s, and rightly so, on their effectiveness and issues, there are wider impacts of these medicines on food choices. It’ll be interesting to see the impact in 1, 2 and 5 years from adoption including a detailed side effects profile.