An episode about putting larger-bodied kids on restrictive diets and weight loss drugs (GLP-1), eating disorder risk, informed consent, conflicts of interest, and the framing of obesity as a chronic disease.
And on how, over the past decade, Novo Nordisk has built the obesity market from scratch and hijacked the concept of weight stigma, turning it into a clever marketing technique.
Louise Adams is a clinical psychologist, author and podcaster from Sydney, Australia. She works within the non-diet and Health at Every Size field, and has also co-authored the recently published paper "GLP-1 Medication for Weight Loss: A Triumph of Marketing Over Patient Care".
In this episode:
- A critical look at the obesity field, the failings of the weight loss industry and blind spots in weight loss research
- The link between Australia and Norway: how the controversial Fast Track to Health trial connects to the Norwegian eMAMMO trial
- The ethical dilemmas surrounding putting larger-bodied children on restrictive diets and GLP-1s
- Dieting and restriction as a risk factor for eating disorders, especially in adolescence
- The metabolic consequences of dieting, and the risk of malnutrition
- A clinical psychologist's perspective on GLP-1 drugs
- Why and how informed consent matters
- Advice for worried parents of larger-bodied kids
- Why weight-neutral health care is not the same as doing nothing
- The troubling medicalization of larger-bodied people
- Novo Nordisk's decade-old strategy to build the obesity market from scratch
- How Novo Nordisk hijacked the fight against weight stigma and turned it into a clever marketing technique
Some references and relevant links:
Chastain, R., Meadows, A., & Adams, L. (2026). GLP-1 medications for weight-loss: a triumph of marketing over patient care. Fat Studies, 1–18. doi.org/10.1080/21604851.2026.2646492
Jebeile, H., et al. (2019). Treatment of obesity, with a dietary component, and eating disorder risk in children and adolescents: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews, 20(9), 1287–1298.
Gow ML, Jebeile H, House ET, et al. Efficacy, Safety and Acceptability of a Very-Low-Energy Diet in Adolescents with Obesity: A Fast Track to Health Sub-Study. Nutrients. 2024;16(18):3125. Published 2024 Sep 16. doi:10.3390/nu16183125
Lister NB, Baur LA, House ET, et al. Intermittent Energy Restriction for Adolescents With Obesity: The Fast Track to Health Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2024;178(10):1006-1016. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2869
Jebeile H, Baur LA, Kwok C, et al. Symptoms of Depression, Eating Disorders, and Binge Eating in Adolescents With Obesity: The Fast Track to Health Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2024;178(10):996-1005. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2851
House ET, Ghouri H, Baur LA, et al. The recruitment of adolescents with obesity to a randomised controlled trial: A Fast Track to Health sub-study. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2025;19(3):214-222. doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2025.04.012
Jebeile H, House ET, Baur LA, et al. Dieting Practices of Adolescents Seeking Obesity Treatment. Nutrients. 2025;17(19):3100. Published 2025 Sep 29. doi:10.3390/nu17193100
Kwok C, Lister NB, House ET, et al. Additional Support Needs of Adolescents with Obesity During an Obesity Treatment Trial: Fast Track to Health. Child Obes. 2025;21(7):608-617. doi:10.1089/chi.2025.0023
Links:
The episode was recorded in April 2026.
