Rerun, Actually - What's the deal with GLP-1s?

Emily Oster (0:01)

Perry.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (0:02)

Emily.

Emily Oster (0:03)

It's conference season.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (0:04)

It is. That means we're running another rerun, actually, episode this week.

Emily Oster (0:09)

And this is another good one from our early days, back when GLP-1s were everywhere, and before GLP-1s were also everywhere. You know, I saw someone today talk on the Instagram about how GLP-1s are their travel hack. They just take them when they're traveling, so they don't have to eat on the airplane.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (0:29)

Oh, okay.

That's an off-label use.

But it's exciting. Back in this episode, the pill form actually had just hit the market, and now we have commercials for the pills starring Martha Stewart. So that's where we are in the culture.

Emily Oster (0:46)

Martha Stewart, she looks great.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (0:47)

She's doing fine.

Emily Oster (0:49)

But what's still relevant about this episode is we actually went really far back looking at the history, the development of the medication, and not just how it's being used or abused today. And I think people will learn something.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (1:02)

Totally. Enjoy the conference, and here's the episode.

Emily Oster (1:06)

Hey Perry, how are you doing?

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (1:08)

I'm good. Emily, nice to see you.

Emily Oster (1:10)

Nice to see you. Okay, today we are talking about GLP-1s. I'm going to ask you some questions. Do you know anyone using a GLP-1?

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (1:18)

Well, wait, I've never heard of this. What is a GLP-1? No, I'm just kidding.

Yes, of course, I know people on GLP-1s.

Emily Oster (1:26)

Do you know people using them off label?

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (1:28)

Yes.

Emily Oster (1:29)

Do you know people who are using other people's GLP-1s from their refrigerator?

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (1:33)

Yes.

Emily Oster (1:34)

Do you know people who are microdosing GLP-1s?

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (1:37)

Yes.

Emily Oster (1:38)

Do you know any, wait, do you know anyone who is microdosing GLP-1s so they can focus better at their tech job?

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (1:46)

Okay, you got me there. I will take a drink.

Emily Oster (1:50)

I'm a yes on that one.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (1:52)

Wow. I want to hear more, but it might have to happen offline.

Emily Oster (1:58)

I'm Emily Oster. I'm an economist and a data expert.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (2:01)

And I'm Perry Wilson. I'm a medical doctor.

Emily Oster (2:04)

It's Thursday, March 5th, 2026, and this is Wellness, Actually.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (2:09)

Because you're getting a staggering amount of health and wellness information nowadays from every source imaginable, and some of it is awesome.

Emily Oster (2:17)

And some of it is, well, actually bullsh**. Fortunately, we're both people who know how to read studies, how to parse the data, and can tell you what's worth thinking about and what you can safely ignore.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (2:30)

But before we dig in, a note that this podcast is for educational purposes and should not be construed as medical advice. We don't know your unique situation, so talk to your doctor for personal health decisions.

Emily Oster (2:41)

This week, we're asking, what's the deal with GLP-1s? And you will get our highly official thumbs up or thumbs down verdict after the break.

All right, Perry, GLP-1s. So I want to set the stage here a little bit, because I think that there is a kind of GLP-1 1 conversation that people can hear. Like, what are these? Do they work for weight loss? We will touch on that, but I think at this point, this is so ubiquitous that people probably don't want to hear, like, GLP-1s are effective for weight loss. I actually want to focus most of our conversation, if you're up for it, on thinking about the sort of 2 questions. So if people have lost weight, what about weight regain? What are the other things this might work for? What are the big concerns people have? What about the long-term effects? There are some interesting economic questions which I'm dying to discuss.

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (3:43)

I love it. This is not freshman year anymore. Welcome to Senior Seminar.

Emily Oster (3:46)

Exactly. Senior Seminar, GLP1s. Okay. But before we get to or maybe as part of Senior Seminar, can we talk about the Gila monster? Is it Gila monster or Gila monster is my first question? And can you tell me why it's such an important animal?

Dr. F. Perry Wilson (4:01)

I say Gila monster. I don't know if that is correct. You can write to us at wellnessactually.fm and correct everything we say.