Fitness guru Jillian Michaels likely could have made money endorsing one of the new weight loss drugs (combined with diet and exercise, of course), and candidly admits that “I would get in line and profit like crazy if I didn’t really believe these things were bad, based on the research that’s already out there.” But instead, she’s acting against her economic interests by using her substantial media presence – plus her own time and money – to speak out against them.
When someone does that, maybe they have something serious to say. In the straightforward no-nonsense manner that made her famous, she lays out what she says the research shows: that even if you are in the half of the people taking these drugs that do not suffer immediate unpleasant side effects, “We know you will plateau on this drug … it’s going to stop working. We know if you get off of the drug, all of the meta-analyses show us that you’re going to gain the weight back, and then some. So, in my best-case scenario for this, where does it go? And the worst-case scenario is stomach paralysis, intestinal blockage, pancreatitis, kidney problems, thyroid cancer.”
For healthcare plans concerned about the cost of these medications, plus the cost of treating whatever side effects come with them, maybe Ms. Michaels’ views are worth sharing with plan participants. Links to two of her interviews are posted below:
https://www.newsnationnow.com/health/ozempic-stop-over-time-jillian-michaels/