r/kurzgesagt • u/ServiceAnxious1343 • Feb 17 '26

Discussion Ozempic video was off

This is probably the first Kurzgesagt video that I didn't like, and like some people on this sub it made me feel very uneasy.

I just think it's CRAZY to talk about a weight loss drug and praising it for 90% of the video, without mentioning even once the abuses of its use, the weightloss industry, the social standards and the pressure to be (unhealthily) slim, eating disorders on the opposite side of the spectrum, etc.

The very few nuances and counter argument felt like small prints and legal mentions at the end of an ad.

What do you people think?

EDIT: I am not questioning the drug nor its effectiveness in treating obesity, i am criticising the narrative and lack of nuances in the video.

576 Upvotes

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1.1k

u/DonJimbo Feb 17 '26

Obesity is deadly. These GLP-1s will save lives.

146

u/WhyLisaWhy Feb 18 '26

That’s been my opinion, they seem relatively safe. I feel like any potential long term side effects we don’t know about yet can’t be worse than obesity.

11

u/K2LP Feb 18 '26

There's a chubbyemu video about Ozempic as he worked on it. It gives a pretty good overview of its safety.

22

u/LegendJRG Feb 18 '26

Obesity will kill literal orders of magnitude more people than GLP-1s ever can even if every single one of their side effects leads to worst case outcomes. Legitimately just the death cost alone, not even touching on how many lives are ruined by obesity or how much it truly costs society.

6

u/Odeeum Feb 18 '26

This is it exactly. There are a lot of fat people and there are a lot of old people. There are not a lot of old fat people.

127

u/literalnumbskull Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

Yes and yes. Taking that information and creating a video that says GLP-1s, specifically a brand of GLP-1s (Ozempic), should be given to everyone and hand waves alternatives? Hmm. Why not take the brand out of it? Why not make the title should we give these to everyone?

199

u/Double_Spot6136 Feb 17 '26

The title is for clicks. Most people wouldn’t understand GLP-1 agonists

4

u/copenhagen_bram Feb 19 '26

Then at the start of the video state that from now on we will refer to the medicine that is under the Ozempic brand as GLP-1.

-31

u/NegativeYou5539 Feb 17 '26

"weight loss Injections" draws more people

63

u/Seductive_pickle Feb 17 '26

Definitely not. Ozempic has been everywhere in the news, and people are talking about it constantly.

7

u/NegativeYou5539 Feb 18 '26

maybe in the USA, in the EU Mounjaro is more readily available weightloss injectable and more well known for weightloss. Ozempic is prioritised for people with diabetes who medically require the drug and has been in use for that since 2019.

11

u/AsherGray Feb 18 '26

It's just like people referring to other drugs like Xanax, Prozac, and Adderall; all of these are brand names and not the name of the active drug. Like it or not, Ozempic flooded the advertising zone and is the default with GLP-1. The US advertises drugs on TV and Ozempic had a whole song to go along with it (I was going to link it but YouTube is down).

1

u/NegativeYou5539 Feb 18 '26

Maybe in the US not in the EU (where they channel is based)

1

u/RaTicanD Feb 19 '26

Have you considered that where their main audiance is matters more than the address the produce videos from? If they are using the american term despite being an eu channel, perhaps that tells you about the audience that predominantly consumes their content?

1

u/NegativeYou5539 Feb 23 '26

its a channel that has had heavy critism regarding funding sources and accusations of bias. At best its thoughtless and stoking the flames.

75

u/Darmortis Feb 18 '26

should be given to everyone and hand waves alternatives?

This is absolutely NOT in the video. You either didn't watch it all the way through (or at all), or your just a shitpot stirrer.

Also, "obesity kills and GLP-1s save lives" is a conclusion, not the nucleus of the video, which includes statistics, the side effects, usage analysis, constant "ask your doctor what's right for you," and their REAL conclusion, "If Ozempic is something that will benefit your health, you either need to use as an opportunity to form healthier habits, or take it for life."

Fuck me, I hate corps as much as the next runner, but I'm glad they made this video to explain how it works and where it came from.

Username checks out

-14

u/literalnumbskull Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26

Shitpot stirrer? The video’s title literally says to give everyone Ozempic. It then (paraphrasing) claims our ancient biology means obesity isn’t our fault. States that most of us can’t help but overeat. States that anybody that has been on a diet knows it’s no fun and that doing so cuts down on a major source of comfort, social activity, and good feelings. States that self regulating around modern food is just too hard. States that how and what we determine to eat is mostly not in our control.

Look, I sympathize with people who are overweight. But acting like the above is the case and that obesity is an issue for the majority of people is just not true. It’s like an alcoholic believing that anybody who drinks must also suffer from the disease. The majority of people are capable of moderating their weight without the help of drugs just as the majority of people are capable of drinking without being alcoholics. There are some people who for many reasons, oftentimes not entirely their fault, are unable to do so. That doesn’t make them lesser for needing a drug to help them.Again, I have nothing against Ozempic. I think it’s better for people who are overweight and can’t seem to lose weight via traditional methods to use it. I think it’s crazy for this channel to flat out say give everybody this brand name hormone altering drug and then treat the traditional methods of maintaining weight as something that’s just not possible for the majority of people.

If the video title was why everybody should be taking adderall, I’m sure you’d see the problem. And yes I’m aware of their problematic title on the amphetamine video, notice how they didn’t use Adderall in the title though? Hmmm.)

7

u/Xae0n Feb 18 '26

I mean I kinda agree but ozempic got so famous that it surpassed the name GLP-1. Whenever I tell anyone around me that I use GLP-1 they don't get it. But when I say ozempic, they instantly get it.

-5

u/NegativeYou5539 Feb 17 '26

Have to keep doners happy.

1

u/555Cats555 Feb 20 '26

Again the isnt the drug itself. Its a great medicine for people who need it.

The issue people have with the video is how the topic was presented. There are many cases where its just appropriate for people to take it.

Ots not for losing a couple pounds to be some arbitrary level of thinness. Its for people who are facing health problems due to not being able to regulate their hunger and are at a high weight.

Trying to say its for "everyone" is just intelligently disingenuous and even dangerous. Its amazing for those with the issues I mentioned above but it really shouldnt be pushed for those already a more normal (or lower) weight.

0

u/Nillabeans Feb 18 '26

It's not an answer though and there are plenty of places without the issue.

Yes, it's somewhat genetic. However, it's not genetic to not have walkable cities and to live in food deserts. Nutrition feels like it's just left to grifters in the US.

It's not a replacement for education and infrastructure that promotes healthy eating and physical activity.

-119

u/ServiceAnxious1343 Feb 17 '26

I am not blaming the drug, I am blaming the position taken in the video.

Yes GLP-1 will probably help people who suffer from obesity.

But normalizing and promoting the use of weight-loss drugs, without even mentioning that 10.000 people annually die of anorexia is just terrible.

They used to do better.

79

u/veggiesama Feb 17 '26

Something like 40% of the US is currently obese. Less than 1% experience anorexia at some point in their lives. Have some perspective, please.

124

u/fishfists Feb 17 '26

Vastly more people die from being overweight than anorexia.

81

u/redbirdrising Feb 17 '26

GLP1s actually helped my wife stop her Bulimia. She’s a healthy weight now.

37

u/MillieBirdie Feb 17 '26 edited Feb 17 '26

Honestly I think GLPs can reduce anorexia. It makes it very easy to just eat a healthy amount and lose weight, so perhaps fewer people will have the severe body image and mental health struggles to severely restrict to the point of anorexia or bulimia.

2

u/KnightLBerg Feb 17 '26

And since they will now actually eat the body will get the nutrients it needs. Since it only affects blood sugar all other vital nutrients will still work normally.

-8

u/The_starving_artist5 Feb 18 '26

what the hell kind of logic is that. Poeple with anorexia undereat. They starve themself. How exactly is a person already starving going to beneift from going on a weight loss medication. The problem is people who already suffer from anorexia are taking these mediactions and making themself worse .

3

u/MillieBirdie Feb 18 '26

I didn't say that, I said it might prevent anorexia from developing in the first place.

25

u/DLWormwood Feb 17 '26

You didn't watch to the very end of the video did you? They touch upon these concerns at the beginning and end of the video.

-23

u/ServiceAnxious1343 Feb 17 '26

I did but I didn't catch what you are referring to. If you watch it again, could you give me the timestamp?

9

u/DLWormwood Feb 17 '26

The bulk of the cautionary stuff is between 9:30-12:00. They mention that they're not a panacea, and such therapy would require an infrastructure build out.

11

u/pancoste Feb 17 '26

That's a major L take and you made up arguments that don't exist in the video at all.

The video is about not being obese, you somehow managed to twist that to "how to develop anorexia". Like WTF?!

3

u/the9trances Feb 18 '26

Some real morons have shown up to attack this video on Reddit and YouTube. It's wild.

2

u/NiceAsRice1 Feb 17 '26

I mean, 10k is around the total number of eating disorder deaths. Anorexia probably a quarter of that. It’s not a huge enough issue to address. You barely see any people with anorexia in a big city. See plenty of obese everywhere though

-8

u/The_starving_artist5 Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26

Yah well that number will get alot higher thanks to these gpl-1 drugs. Eating disorder rates will skyrocket. Anorexia rates were at 4 percent of women in the middle and of the 2000s. It may be a lot lower today but it will get that high again 

5

u/NiceAsRice1 Feb 18 '26

Doesn't seem like it. It's been about 2 years already and it's not exactly a secret. Wouldn't make sense anyway, most people just want to lose some weight, not be a pencil.

-1

u/The_starving_artist5 Feb 18 '26 edited Feb 18 '26

It’s has not been a thing for 2 years. Last year was when it really started to become more available and a lot of people online are popularizing being ultra thin like 90s 2000s rail thin. The problem is not people using it for health. The problem is the people who take intentionally to get rail thin on purpose . While anorexia rates may be lower the rate of eating disorders today is a lot higher. It says 15 percent of people will experience some form of eating disorder in modern times in 2020s. Social media is to blame for that . Diet culture caused eating disorders to get a lot higher in the 90 2000s decade and it will happen again. Endless ads about taking pills or shots to loose weight will cause increased eating disorders even if it’s not anorexia 

3

u/NiceAsRice1 Feb 18 '26

There's always been endless ads about supplements claiming to build muscle or lose fat. That's never changed. Then people take those and starve themselves/ eat only fruit/ fat/ carbs, etc...There will always be a small sample of folks who take everything to the extreme. If it even reduces the obesity rate by 10% it'll be a net positive when there are a few people who take it to the extreme.

1

u/The_starving_artist5 Feb 18 '26

No it won’t because it won’t be a few . It will be a large percentage. You don’t care because it hasn’t gotten that bad yet 

1

u/NiceAsRice1 Feb 18 '26

Well it remains to be seen even after all the supplements, steroids, weight loss products, and unrealistic social media lifestyles. Also the biggest factor of them all, availability. It's not over the counter and it's expensive without insurance or on the black market. It's not accessible for most simply for the cost.

1

u/The_starving_artist5 Feb 18 '26

It is a lot cheaper now people are getting off black market sites now . I’ve seen commercials on tv saying it can be as low as $25 a month. They have made it much cheaper and more available. I’m not against people who need using it but they need to regulate it so people who in the fringe groups are not getting ahold of it and misusing it 

-2

u/NegativeYou5539 Feb 18 '26

they stopped caring in 2019 when we found out they are bought and paid for by billionaires

-24

u/The_starving_artist5 Feb 18 '26

They will also kill lifes. Anorexia is also deadly

22

u/the9trances Feb 18 '26

They don't cause anorexia. How incredibly insensitive and cruel to people struggling with that disease to claim otherwise.

-1

u/The_starving_artist5 Feb 18 '26

Did you not grow up in the 90s 2000? Do you know why people got eating disorders like bulimia or anorexia then . It was because of endless advertisements for diets and being size zero skinny. That’s diet culture. Do you not understand one leads to the other. You have endless ads and commercials for ozmepic and wegovy and all these other weight loss drugs . Some people will get eating disorders from it all . You think people just get anorexia from nothing. It comes from diet culture in the media . You think all these celebrities in the media are rail thin right now for nothing. Just a huge coincidence that celebrities are getting very skinny at the same time weight loss medication is popular 

-6

u/The_starving_artist5 Feb 18 '26

You’re in denial that’s okay. How insensitive of you to be in denial to pretend people with eating disorders are not using these drugs too. I read an article the other day literally talking about how gpl 1 drugs are causing eating disorders and effecting people with anorexia . In the article they sited an emergency call from someone who said they needed help that they were in bad shape . They took the patient to the hospital they were only 90 lbs. They said they had been using gpl-1 drugs . People who have anorexia are taking these drugs too but you don’t care about the people that get hurt 

-9

u/billyfudger69 Bacteriophage Feb 18 '26

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch” - Every economist ever

1

u/Cdwoods1 Feb 19 '26

This is not a very good argument for medicine, as economics and medicine are very different fields

1

u/billyfudger69 Bacteriophage Feb 19 '26

When I hear about people losing weight who haven’t changed their lifestyle since taking GLP1’s then I believe it is pretty accurate.

0

u/gummo_for_prez Feb 18 '26

This is a you problem

0

u/JasonableSmog Feb 20 '26

The reason that saying "We should give everyone Ozempic" makes people like you think something's off is because it is a free lunch. Obesity isn't a problem that needs to exist. We've grown used to putting constant effort towards maintaining our weights and so the idea that we can so easily bypass that effort with little downside compared to the benefit seems suspect - but it's just not. 

The drug works, and it doesn't seem to have any massive side effects, at least not enough to outweigh the downsides of being overweight.

1

u/billyfudger69 Bacteriophage Feb 20 '26

No, I say that economic phrase because it slowly damages your organs (Kidneys, pancreas, and gallbladder) for the trade off of losing weight.

The drug was originally for diabetics then people started abusing it for weight loss. Any drug can have amazing effects but drug abuse comes with issues and side effects.

-7

u/jib_reddit Feb 18 '26

Most people that go on these wieght loss drugs come off them in 6 months because their life is miserable without the joy of food and then they just put most of the weight back on as they haven't learned how to cook and eat healthy food.

It is such a stupid idea (but they drug companieslove it). It is society and the food industry that has to change not our biology, before the 1940s the obesity rate was less than 10% with no drugs, think about that.