Moms Exposed To Forever Chemicals May Put Child At Risk For Obesity

Healthline: 'Forever' Chemicals and Other Endocrine-Disruptors May Increase Child Obesity Risk
Prenatal exposure to various endocrine-disrupting chemicals — including metals, plastics, and pesticides — have been linked to a cluster of health problems in childhood, including obesity, according to a large multi-national European study. The first-of-its-kind study, published in JAMA Network Open May 23, looked at the effects of 45 different endocrine- disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on children who were exposed to them in utero. EDCs can be naturally occurring or human-made chemicals that interfere with hormones in the body, and are associated with a wide array of health issues, including obesity. (Mammoser, 5/24)

On obesity drugs and weight loss —

Reuters: Lilly Invests Further $5.3 Bln In New Indiana Site As Obesity Drug Demand Soars 
Eli Lilly said on Friday it has invested another $5.3 billion in its new Lebanon, Indiana manufacturing plant, more than doubling its previous investment, as it scrambles to meet soaring demand for its weight-loss and diabetes drugs. The new investment, which brings the total to $9 billion, will help boost production of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for Lilly's powerful weight-loss drug Zepbound and diabetes treatment Mounjaro, the company said. (Wingrove, 5/24)

CNBC: Digital Health Companies Are Launching Programs Around GLP-1s
For Gray Beard, a kindergarten teacher in Charlotte, North Carolina, losing weight had become a grueling task. She’d tried five different programs in her life and never found lasting results. Her luck started to change last year, when she saw a promotion on Instagram for the Ro Body Program, a new offering from online health startup Ro. The ad said eligible patients could get prescribed GLP-1s, the buzzy class of obesity treatments that’s turned into a booming business in recent years. (Constantino and Capoot, 5/25)

NPR: The Ozempic-Like Obesity Drugs Create A Dilemma When People Have To Go Off Them
Over the past few decades, Jonathan Meyers endured several cycles of gaining, shedding, then regaining weight after attempting Keto, high protein, low fat, and calorie-restrictive diets. “I’ve had success, up and down, but I always regain the weight,” says Meyers, a digital strategist at an environmental nonprofit. But on Zepbound – the newest GLP-1 agonistdrug to launch – Meyers lost 35 pounds and loves feeling free from hunger. Without what he calls “food noise” – the gnawing compulsion to eat – he consumes less and moves more. (Noguchi, 5/27)

Axios: U.S. Faces Obesity Care Shortage As Demand For Weight-Loss Drugs Soars
The relatively small number of health care providers trained in obesity care can hardly keep up with Americans' demand for new weight-loss drugs. Tens of thousands of U.S. patients each week are starting on treatments like Novo Nordisk's Ozempic and Wegovy, but obesity medicine specialists worry there are still too few providers with enough specialized training to help patients who likely have to remain on the drugs long term. (Goldman, 5/28)

Healthline: Meals For GLP-1 Users: Nestlé Launches New Frozen Food Line
GLP-1 drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy have exploded in popularity with more and more people turning to these medications to help manage weight loss and diabetes. To target this new group of consumers, Nestlé has created a new frozen-food brand, Vital Pursuit that will launch in the fall of 2024.The food line will contain essential nutrients, with products such as sandwich melts, pizzas and frozen bowls with whole grains or pasta. (Vogel, 5/27)