What is obesity?
Some people will tell you it’s a fancy word for being fat; others might say it’s a slur that pathologizes bigger bodies. And yet others will insist it’s a moral failing—one of laziness and poor willpower.
For the past decade, however, the medical community has recognized that obesity is a chronic disease, much like cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Obesity triples the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19, is linked with hundreds of medical complications, and accounts for 4 million preventable deaths every year.
Obesity is also heterogeneous, with manifold different causes, clinical presentations, and responses to treatment. The astronomical rise of GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro has glossed over such nuance, with …