Are the children lazy? 

I recently completed a podcast with Bari Weiss, an independent journalist I admire greatly. 

On the podcast, I debated a leading Harvard obesity doctor who is advocating that taxpayer-funded Ozempic (lifetime obesity injections) be available to 45% of teens and 78% of adults (the populations who are obese or overweight). 

We both agreed that this would be more than a $1 trillion budget impact to the United States and that buying every overweight American fresh, organic food for life would be significantly cheaper. 

I asked: Why are we drugging people when we could just buy them better food? 

The doctor’s response was chilling. She implied Americans – including overweight children – are lazy, and the best we can do is drug them. 

This cynical view of humanity is deeply embedded in the medical system. It reminded me of when my sister’s Chief Resident told her, “Don’t be a pussy” when she suggested a nutrition intervention to a patient with a migraine.

The truth is that patients do listen to medical guidelines. When the Surgeon General said (way too late) that smoking is deadly, we stopped smoking, and lung cancer went down. 

Instead of promoting $1 trillion of taxpayer funding for a marginally effective drug, institutions like Harvard Medical School should call the FDA to make added sugar guidelines for children 0. Right now, it is up to 10%, which is criminal when you consider sugar is a highly addictive drug. 

It sounds trite, but change will come from empowered patients and parents who question the incentives of our current guidelines. Babies shouldn’t have sugar. And if you are struggling with weight, it should not be seen as a genetic disease — it is a warning sign that there is deeper metabolic dysfunction we must get a handle on. I am still working on my metabolic biomarkers because I want to be there for my son when he’s older and has a cellularly functional brain. 

I hope these emails are sparking ideas on your journey of asking questions. 

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