Professor of Philosophy Bridgewater State University BELMONT, Massachusetts
Abstract: The new GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP medications (e.g. Ozempic, Mounjaro) are touted as miracle drugs, a solution to the intractable problem of long-term weight loss and management. According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll, 12% of Americans reported having taken a GLP-1, and 6% say they are currently taking one.
These drugs work mainly by reducing appetite and increasing satiety, resulting in weight loss. However, many patients also report drastic reductions in “food noise”—persistent and anxious preoccupation with food. Anecdotal reports include marked changes in food preferences (say, kale over brownies) and even taste profiles (kale yum, brownies meh).
We’ll examine the notion of food noise and its relation to hunger and eating, as researchers and one patient on Zepbound. We argue that a better understanding of the constraints that food noise imposes on individuals addresses worries that these medications interfere with what philosopher Kate Manne calls ‘bodily authority”. She argues that we have something like a moral duty to ourselves to satisfy our hunger, rather than trying either to ignore it or silence it.
Citing both recent research and experiential accounts, we suggest and explain how reduction of food noise can in fact increase bodily authority. By eliminating food noise and the accompanying anxiety of managing daily food selection, preparation and consumption, patients can attain greater choice and freedom around eating behaviors (e.g., increased individually prepared foods, decreased impulsive or binge eating, decreased eating isolation, increased incentives to eat with others).
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