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Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs
*Listening Length: 8 hours and 26 minutes
The bestselling author of Lost Connections and Stolen Focus offers a revelatory look at the drugs upending weight loss as we knew it—from his personal experience on Ozempic to what these drugs mean for our society’s deeply dysfunctional relationship with food, weight, and our bodiesIn January 2023, bestselling author Johann Hari started to inject himself once a week with Ozempic, the diabetes drug that produces significant weight loss. He wasn’t alone—credible predictions suggest that in two years, a quarter of the U.S. population will be taking this class of drug. Proponents say that this is a biological solution to a biological problem. While 95 percent of diets fail, the average person taking one of the new drugs will lose a quarter of their body weight in six months, and keep it off for as long as they take it. Here is a moment of liberation from an illness that massively increases your chances of diabetes, dementia, and cancer, and causes 10 percent of all deaths. Still, Hari was wildly conflicted. The massive rise in obesity rates around the world in the last half century didn’t happen because something went wrong with human biology. It happened because something went disastrously wrong with our We began to eat food designed to be maximally addictive. We built cities that are impossible to walk or bike around. We became much more stressed, making us seek out more comfort snacks. From this perspective, the new weight loss drugs arrive at a moment of madness. We built a food system that poisons us, then decided en masse to inject ourselves with a different potential poison that puts us off all food.A personal journey through weight loss combined with scientific evidence from experts, Magic Pill explores, as only Hari can, questions How did we get to this point? What does it reveal about our society that we couldn’t solve this problem socially, and instead turned to potentially risky pharmaceutical solutions? And will this free us from social pressure to conform to an ideal body type—or make that pressure even more dangerously intense?
The bestselling author of Lost Connections and Stolen Focus offers a revelatory look at the drugs upending weight loss as we knew it—from his personal experience on Ozempic to what these drugs mean for our society’s deeply dysfunctional relationship with food, weight, and our bodiesIn January 2023, bestselling author Johann Hari started to inject himself once a week with Ozempic, the diabetes drug that produces significant weight loss. He wasn’t alone—credible predictions suggest that in two years, a quarter of the U.S. population will be taking this class of drug. Proponents say that this is a biological solution to a biological problem. While 95 percent of diets fail, the average person taking one of the new drugs will lose a quarter of their body weight in six months, and keep it off for as long as they take it. Here is a moment of liberation from an illness that massively increases your chances of diabetes, dementia, and cancer, and causes 10 percent of all deaths. Still, Hari was wildly conflicted. The massive rise in obesity rates around the world in the last half century didn’t happen because something went wrong with human biology. It happened because something went disastrously wrong with our We began to eat food designed to be maximally addictive. We built cities that are impossible to walk or bike around. We became much more stressed, making us seek out more comfort snacks. From this perspective, the new weight loss drugs arrive at a moment of madness. We built a food system that poisons us, then decided en masse to inject ourselves with a different potential poison that puts us off all food.A personal journey through weight loss combined with scientific evidence from experts, Magic Pill explores, as only Hari can, questions How did we get to this point? What does it reveal about our society that we couldn’t solve this problem socially, and instead turned to potentially risky pharmaceutical solutions? And will this free us from social pressure to conform to an ideal body type—or make that pressure even more dangerously intense?
9 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 21, 2024
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About the author
Johann Hari
29 books3,333 followersJohann Hari is an award-winning British journalist and playwright. He was a columnist for The Independent and the Huffington Post, and has won awards for his war reporting. His work has also appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The New Republic, The Nation, Le Monde, El Mundo, the Melbourne Age, El Pais, the Sydney Morning Herald, the Irish Times, The Guardian, Ha'aretz, the Times Literary Supplement, Attitude (Britain's main gay magazine), the New Statesman and a wide range of other international newspapers and magazines.
Hari describes himself as a "European social democrat", who believes that markets are "an essential tool to generate wealth" but must be matched by strong democratic governments and strong trade unions or they become "disastrous". He appears regularly as an arts critic on the BBC Two programme Newsnight Review, and he is a book critic for Slate. He has been named by the Daily Telegraph as one of the most influential people on the left in Britain, and by the Dutch magazine Winq as one of the twenty most influential gay people in the world.
After two scandals in 2011 involving plagiarism and malicious editing of Wikipedia pages, Hari was forced to return the prestigious Orwell prize he had won in 2008, and lost his position at The Independent.
Hari describes himself as a "European social democrat", who believes that markets are "an essential tool to generate wealth" but must be matched by strong democratic governments and strong trade unions or they become "disastrous". He appears regularly as an arts critic on the BBC Two programme Newsnight Review, and he is a book critic for Slate. He has been named by the Daily Telegraph as one of the most influential people on the left in Britain, and by the Dutch magazine Winq as one of the twenty most influential gay people in the world.
After two scandals in 2011 involving plagiarism and malicious editing of Wikipedia pages, Hari was forced to return the prestigious Orwell prize he had won in 2008, and lost his position at The Independent.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,197 reviews
June 3, 2024
I’ve loved every single book this man produces, and this was no exception. In this he investigates a weight loss drug, using his investigative journalism skills sprinkled with personal anecdotes. He manages to ask the right questions without drawing bombastic conclusions, which I think is great. The last part was especially interesting, visiting Japan to look at their food culture.
May 13, 2024
This is a phenomenal book, and although some people aren’t fans of Johann’s work, I definitely am. I didn’t like his last book too much, but that’s mainly because I disagree with the social media doomerism. This book was amazing though. It’s about the new GLP-1 weight loss drugs, and I’ve been using them off and on for a little over a year now.
During an almost decade-long drug and alcohol addiction, I put on close to 200 lbs. I’ve been sober since 2012, and I’ve tried just about everything to get the weight off with no luck. These medications (I take Mounjaro) are the first thing to actually work for me. In this book, Hari takes an insanely deep look at these medications as well as the entire conversation around obesity.
I personally don’t think Johann is overweight, but he’s struggled with weight issues his whole life and started taking the meds. He shares his personal experience but also interviews a ton of doctors, scientists, and researchers about these medications. Throughout the book, he gives a balanced look at these medications and how they’re affecting us currently as well as what we need to think about in the future. Throughout the book, you also read about his internal struggles with the conversation about whether or not these drugs are good or bad.
I can’t think of one thing I wish he would have covered in this book because he discusses it all. He talks about the medication, the potential risks, fatphobia, how it can affect people with eating disorders, the truth and myths about health and fatness, and so much more.
Even if you’re not considering taking these medications, I think this book is a must-read because it’s having such a huge impact on the world. Not only that, but Hari explores so many other important topics around obesity, and these are extremely important.
During an almost decade-long drug and alcohol addiction, I put on close to 200 lbs. I’ve been sober since 2012, and I’ve tried just about everything to get the weight off with no luck. These medications (I take Mounjaro) are the first thing to actually work for me. In this book, Hari takes an insanely deep look at these medications as well as the entire conversation around obesity.
I personally don’t think Johann is overweight, but he’s struggled with weight issues his whole life and started taking the meds. He shares his personal experience but also interviews a ton of doctors, scientists, and researchers about these medications. Throughout the book, he gives a balanced look at these medications and how they’re affecting us currently as well as what we need to think about in the future. Throughout the book, you also read about his internal struggles with the conversation about whether or not these drugs are good or bad.
I can’t think of one thing I wish he would have covered in this book because he discusses it all. He talks about the medication, the potential risks, fatphobia, how it can affect people with eating disorders, the truth and myths about health and fatness, and so much more.
Even if you’re not considering taking these medications, I think this book is a must-read because it’s having such a huge impact on the world. Not only that, but Hari explores so many other important topics around obesity, and these are extremely important.
May 27, 2024
In delving into Johann Hari's "Magic Pill," I find myself grappling with conflicting sentiments. As an advocate of Intuitive Eating and a proponent of the Health at Every Size (HAES) movement, I recognize the potential benefits of drugs like Ozempic in managing serious health conditions such as diabetes. However, Hari's exploration of these medications and their implications left me with a myriad of concerns.
One of the book's primary merits lies in its ability to shed light on the societal shift towards pharmaceutical solutions for weight loss. Hari adeptly navigates his personal journey with Ozempic, offering readers a firsthand account of its effects. Yet, the book's structure left much to be desired. Hari initially emphasizes the health risks associated with obesity without sufficiently addressing the complex interplay between causation and correlation, nor the limitations of using BMI as a metric for health. By relegating these critical discussions to the latter part of the book, Hari fails to equip readers with the necessary context to evaluate the research presented.
Moreover, Hari's vested interest in the subject matter, being a user of Ozempic himself, inevitably colors his narrative. While his journalistic approach aims for objectivity, his personal stake in the matter raises questions about bias. A pivotal moment in the book occurs when Hari's friend challenges his motives, suggesting that his pursuit of weight loss may be driven more by vanity than health—an argument that resonates deeply.
While Hari rightfully critiques the shortcomings of our food system, he neglects to address other societal factors contributing to the obesity epidemic, such as stress, lack of access to mental health resources, and the pervasive culture of hustle. Additionally, his portrayal of the HAES movement feels somewhat one-sided, cherry-picking extreme examples and failing to acknowledge its nuanced principles of self-acceptance and holistic well-being.
Furthermore, Hari's discussion of the risks associated with Ozempic overlooks crucial considerations, including the potential for disordered eating and the parallels between its usage and treating eating disorder patients. The book falls short in highlighting these significant concerns, leaving readers with an incomplete understanding of the potential ramifications of widespread drug usage.
"Magic Pill" offers valuable insights into the complexities of weight loss and the societal pressures surrounding body image. However, its narrative shortcomings and lack of comprehensive analysis detract from its overall impact. While pharmaceutical interventions may provide short-term solutions for some, the long-term implications remain uncertain, warranting a more nuanced examination of alternative approaches to health and well-being.
One of the book's primary merits lies in its ability to shed light on the societal shift towards pharmaceutical solutions for weight loss. Hari adeptly navigates his personal journey with Ozempic, offering readers a firsthand account of its effects. Yet, the book's structure left much to be desired. Hari initially emphasizes the health risks associated with obesity without sufficiently addressing the complex interplay between causation and correlation, nor the limitations of using BMI as a metric for health. By relegating these critical discussions to the latter part of the book, Hari fails to equip readers with the necessary context to evaluate the research presented.
Moreover, Hari's vested interest in the subject matter, being a user of Ozempic himself, inevitably colors his narrative. While his journalistic approach aims for objectivity, his personal stake in the matter raises questions about bias. A pivotal moment in the book occurs when Hari's friend challenges his motives, suggesting that his pursuit of weight loss may be driven more by vanity than health—an argument that resonates deeply.
While Hari rightfully critiques the shortcomings of our food system, he neglects to address other societal factors contributing to the obesity epidemic, such as stress, lack of access to mental health resources, and the pervasive culture of hustle. Additionally, his portrayal of the HAES movement feels somewhat one-sided, cherry-picking extreme examples and failing to acknowledge its nuanced principles of self-acceptance and holistic well-being.
Furthermore, Hari's discussion of the risks associated with Ozempic overlooks crucial considerations, including the potential for disordered eating and the parallels between its usage and treating eating disorder patients. The book falls short in highlighting these significant concerns, leaving readers with an incomplete understanding of the potential ramifications of widespread drug usage.
"Magic Pill" offers valuable insights into the complexities of weight loss and the societal pressures surrounding body image. However, its narrative shortcomings and lack of comprehensive analysis detract from its overall impact. While pharmaceutical interventions may provide short-term solutions for some, the long-term implications remain uncertain, warranting a more nuanced examination of alternative approaches to health and well-being.
July 10, 2024
Incredibly good writing that explores the nuances in all the conversations that society is determined not to have about this medication, fatness, and access to food. Each topic is interwoven into a compellingly compassionate explorations of the pros and cons of the medication. This is one of the few things that have talked about this medication in a productive and helpful way.
I hear complaints about this not being unbiased, but that’s simply not a real thing anyone should either believe in or expect
I hear complaints about this not being unbiased, but that’s simply not a real thing anyone should either believe in or expect
June 21, 2024
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 book
Total Information 5g
Insightful Science Journalism 4g
Pseudoscience 1g
Pearl-Clutching 9g
Total Memoir 4g
Anecdote 3g
Musing 1g
Why are you writing this down? 2g
----------
Both-side-ism 16%
Equivocatory reasoning 46%
Serving size: 1 book
Total Information 5g
Insightful Science Journalism 4g
Pseudoscience 1g
Pearl-Clutching 9g
Total Memoir 4g
Anecdote 3g
Musing 1g
Why are you writing this down? 2g
----------
Both-side-ism 16%
Equivocatory reasoning 46%
May 11, 2024
The 15% of the book about the drugs is interesting, if thinly researched. The 85% of the book that is about the author is drivel.
Looking forward to a journalist writing on this topic.
The rash of millennial authors co-opting current events to smuggle out their diaries to the public in general continues.
Looking forward to a journalist writing on this topic.
The rash of millennial authors co-opting current events to smuggle out their diaries to the public in general continues.
December 23, 2024
A fascinating and timely book about GLP-1 agonist drugs (Ozempic, Zepbound, etc…). In the past few years, the meteoric rise of the popularity of these drugs (and the share price of the drug makers) astonished many people. The author is not a scientist or doctor but a journalist, but he clearly has done thorough research. He is also a patient on Ozempic so the book includes some first hand experiences.
My impression is that these GLP-1 drugs are highly effective and mostly safe for most people (prescribed by a doctor) in a relatively long time (maybe 10 years for now?). They really are different from the previous weight-loss drugs. I am glad the author does not just praise these drugs. He writes about the known (nausea, dizziness, pancreatitis, etc..) and still under research but possible (typhoid cancer, depression) side effects.
What I like most is the second half of the book, especially the psychological reason for overeating and the cost of losing weight. For example, if you overeat to smooth your anxiety, then when you lose weight, you lose the mental blanket and reveal the underneath issues that you may not be ready to face. The opposite end of overeating is anorexia. In a society obsessed with thinness, with the rise of their popularity, the possibility of abuse is also on the rise, perhaps it has already started.
The chapter about the stigma against fat people and the Fat Pride activism is well-written. Finally someone said what I wanted to say: getting rid of body size stigma and having a healthy body size shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.
In the end, I can’t shake off the irony of these drugs: big food companies, by mass producing and feeding people with processed food, induce widespread obesity; to solve the problem, instead of fixing the food system, we buy “magic pills” from another set of big companies. Such is modern life.
My impression is that these GLP-1 drugs are highly effective and mostly safe for most people (prescribed by a doctor) in a relatively long time (maybe 10 years for now?). They really are different from the previous weight-loss drugs. I am glad the author does not just praise these drugs. He writes about the known (nausea, dizziness, pancreatitis, etc..) and still under research but possible (typhoid cancer, depression) side effects.
What I like most is the second half of the book, especially the psychological reason for overeating and the cost of losing weight. For example, if you overeat to smooth your anxiety, then when you lose weight, you lose the mental blanket and reveal the underneath issues that you may not be ready to face. The opposite end of overeating is anorexia. In a society obsessed with thinness, with the rise of their popularity, the possibility of abuse is also on the rise, perhaps it has already started.
The chapter about the stigma against fat people and the Fat Pride activism is well-written. Finally someone said what I wanted to say: getting rid of body size stigma and having a healthy body size shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.
In the end, I can’t shake off the irony of these drugs: big food companies, by mass producing and feeding people with processed food, induce widespread obesity; to solve the problem, instead of fixing the food system, we buy “magic pills” from another set of big companies. Such is modern life.
May 18, 2024
Quite good.
Hari writes well and clearly. Does a wonderful job of anticipating the logical thought process of the reader and shepherding them along without dragging. There’s a good balance of personal and scientific. And I was impressed by the level of self criticism the author is willing to partake in.
At a high-level, the author examines Ozempic and similar GLP-1 drugs. Taking us through a survey of current research and trying to contextualize why they’ve been so popular. It’s a little frustrating at times because the answer for a lot of this stuff is like “we don’t know” and while that’s intellectually honest it’s also annoying. Not a fault of the author and I think some of that detriment is picked up and compensated for by his own experiences with the drugs.
I think that sometimes that crossover gave me pause as to the impartiality, but the author also does a great job contextualizing sources as being “researchers at Novo” “general academics” and the like.
I’m not sure there’s any sort of like investigative journalism done here that you couldn’t get through other sources, i’ve read most of the diet stuff other places, but as with other books by this author, I thought his perspective and pace were really enjoyable.
Hari writes well and clearly. Does a wonderful job of anticipating the logical thought process of the reader and shepherding them along without dragging. There’s a good balance of personal and scientific. And I was impressed by the level of self criticism the author is willing to partake in.
At a high-level, the author examines Ozempic and similar GLP-1 drugs. Taking us through a survey of current research and trying to contextualize why they’ve been so popular. It’s a little frustrating at times because the answer for a lot of this stuff is like “we don’t know” and while that’s intellectually honest it’s also annoying. Not a fault of the author and I think some of that detriment is picked up and compensated for by his own experiences with the drugs.
I think that sometimes that crossover gave me pause as to the impartiality, but the author also does a great job contextualizing sources as being “researchers at Novo” “general academics” and the like.
I’m not sure there’s any sort of like investigative journalism done here that you couldn’t get through other sources, i’ve read most of the diet stuff other places, but as with other books by this author, I thought his perspective and pace were really enjoyable.
September 26, 2024
Anyone interested in Ozempic should read…the author’s balanced, tempered…and pretty darn funny…
The risks…increase in thyroid cancer…is far overshadowed by dodging all the negative effects of obesity…
Author’s own personal journey is intertwined to make the reading pill go down easily…
The risks…increase in thyroid cancer…is far overshadowed by dodging all the negative effects of obesity…
Author’s own personal journey is intertwined to make the reading pill go down easily…
May 16, 2024
Having known nothing about Ozempic prior to reading, this was a great way to get myself up to speed. Hari employs his usual blend of personal anecdotes, scientific research, and wider cultural/societal issues to create an engaging, informative narrative. I learned enough to form my own opinion about GLP-1 agonists and other weight loss drugs. The next time Ozempic comes up in conversation, I’ll be well-equipped to be utterly insufferable and remind everyone that I do in fact read. That’s really what it’s all about.
March 6, 2024
3.5 Stars
Not exactly what I was expecting, although this book does explore Ozempic, it’s benefits, it’s risks and side effects, and the cultural contexts and concerns about it, it also goes further and explores our society’s complicated relationships to food and fatness. It pulls a lot of research and interviews into its pages, to give you a lot of information and context. The book also explore’s Hari’s own personal experiences, which include his relationship to food, and his experiences taking Ozempic. Although jt felt like Hari did a lot of research, and attempted to explore many different sides, his reflection didn’t always ring authentic (to me) - there were times where it felt like we *almost* got to the root of something, but didn’t actually ask the right questions. There were other times where (in the writing) it seemed that Hari had already come to the conclusion he wanted, and the research did
seem to cater to it. There was also a bit of a defensiveness that occasionally showed up, which did surprise me - but I guess it’s very human, and not exactly a flaw for the book, just unexpected.
Overall, I did learn a lot from this book - it pulls together a lot of research on weight loss, from the effects of diet and exercise, to the effectiveness of different methods of weight loss. There was a lot of information about Ozempic research too, with a few caveats about potential for harm and potential side effects, as well as potential unknowns. I appreciated the context and the indictments of the food industry and food culture that has shaped most of our modern society. This book is challenging and informative, and a great conversation starter. I look forward to hearing what other people thought about it.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from my publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback.
Not exactly what I was expecting, although this book does explore Ozempic, it’s benefits, it’s risks and side effects, and the cultural contexts and concerns about it, it also goes further and explores our society’s complicated relationships to food and fatness. It pulls a lot of research and interviews into its pages, to give you a lot of information and context. The book also explore’s Hari’s own personal experiences, which include his relationship to food, and his experiences taking Ozempic. Although jt felt like Hari did a lot of research, and attempted to explore many different sides, his reflection didn’t always ring authentic (to me) - there were times where it felt like we *almost* got to the root of something, but didn’t actually ask the right questions. There were other times where (in the writing) it seemed that Hari had already come to the conclusion he wanted, and the research did
seem to cater to it. There was also a bit of a defensiveness that occasionally showed up, which did surprise me - but I guess it’s very human, and not exactly a flaw for the book, just unexpected.
Overall, I did learn a lot from this book - it pulls together a lot of research on weight loss, from the effects of diet and exercise, to the effectiveness of different methods of weight loss. There was a lot of information about Ozempic research too, with a few caveats about potential for harm and potential side effects, as well as potential unknowns. I appreciated the context and the indictments of the food industry and food culture that has shaped most of our modern society. This book is challenging and informative, and a great conversation starter. I look forward to hearing what other people thought about it.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from my publisher, in exchange for my honest feedback.
June 1, 2024
I don't know why this book grated on me so much, but I felt so angry while I was reading it. Listening to the author use words like "gorge," "oily," "greasy," and others in relation to his experience, not to mention the litany of foods he ate all the time, even while taking the drug, made me so relieved when his friend Lara finally called him out: this is not really about health! At the end of the day, there is a small subset of people who urgently need help with obesity and should get that help with the care of their doctors. For most of us, not liking our bodies shouldn't be the reason we go on a drug. Why don't we focus on exercise, weaning ourselves off the processed crap, and accept our bodies for what they are at that point? I don't believe Hari really talked about this option or convinced me that a higher BMI automatically means you're doomed. He put forth a good effort to present lots of different sides to the argument (although reading about his many ethical breaches as a journalist, I'm not sure how much I trust his research), but I was frustrated by his final analysis, because I wound up with a very different conclusion.
July 8, 2024
I really don’t know how to rate this. I have mixed impressions. I really like the author, and appreciate the research that went into to this and his vulnerability sharing his personal experiences. However, it’s written from the perspective of a British white man. As much as he tried, he really didn’t capture the reality of how bad it is in America, with our food and healthcare systems being symptoms of much deeper problems. He didn’t capture the whole picture of the problem of rising rates of obesity in developed nations. An attempt was made to balance the need to pull people out of the river on an individual level with the need for systemic intervention upstream, but to me it was woefully lacking.
If I remember correctly he mentioned the racist implications of fatphobia like one time, but that’s it, and that’s wildly insufficient. The examples of predominantly white and Asian countries lowering obesity rates through cultural norms and even government intervention were highlighted, but no difference was made to the fact that rates of larger body size are higher for the Black community because their bodies are how they are. Many of the anti-fatphobia advocates are Black, and that’s for a reason, because they’re disproportionately impacted by harmful stereotypes and bias. There was acknowledgment that obesity is correlated with poverty and so it makes sense that the most marginalized groups will be more impacted by obesity, however, there are many people who do all the healthy lifestyle changes and don’t lose weight. For those people, perhaps a focus on health at every size is what makes sense. Maybe pharmaceuticals like ozempics have a place in some few circumstances, but definitely not the predominant one we’re seeing.
At one point he questions if shame can be a helpful tool to get people to adopt healthier habits, and it should not take a therapist (which I am) to know that shame is NEVER productive. Change happens with real support - practical AND emotional.
This is a complicated topic and while the author made an attempt to sensitively address nuances, I don’t think he succeeded. The three stars are for effort and what I believe is genuinely sincerity. He cares, I’ll give him that much.
If I remember correctly he mentioned the racist implications of fatphobia like one time, but that’s it, and that’s wildly insufficient. The examples of predominantly white and Asian countries lowering obesity rates through cultural norms and even government intervention were highlighted, but no difference was made to the fact that rates of larger body size are higher for the Black community because their bodies are how they are. Many of the anti-fatphobia advocates are Black, and that’s for a reason, because they’re disproportionately impacted by harmful stereotypes and bias. There was acknowledgment that obesity is correlated with poverty and so it makes sense that the most marginalized groups will be more impacted by obesity, however, there are many people who do all the healthy lifestyle changes and don’t lose weight. For those people, perhaps a focus on health at every size is what makes sense. Maybe pharmaceuticals like ozempics have a place in some few circumstances, but definitely not the predominant one we’re seeing.
At one point he questions if shame can be a helpful tool to get people to adopt healthier habits, and it should not take a therapist (which I am) to know that shame is NEVER productive. Change happens with real support - practical AND emotional.
This is a complicated topic and while the author made an attempt to sensitively address nuances, I don’t think he succeeded. The three stars are for effort and what I believe is genuinely sincerity. He cares, I’ll give him that much.
September 20, 2025
DNF - This book is bad, as is the person who wrote it.
Unbeknownst to me before I bought and picked up this book, Johann Hari is a known serial plagiarizer and fabricator, and in my opinion should not be allowed to publish books in any public light. I found out from some research after I noticed that this book is full of obvious garbage.
Magic Pill gives the vibe of a book that was written by someone who just found out that McDonald's is not good for you, and instead of pulling any real conclusions from a chain of critical thinking, immediately sat down in a frenzied panic and wrote a book about it. It is a book written largely on emotion and surface-level observations claiming to be scientifically rigorous. Large amounts of the writing are simply saying things like "did you know your food contains something called 'meat glue'? Doesn't that sound gross?" and concluding that if it sounds gross, it must be bad for you.
Between useless reactionary ramblings with no actual backing other than uncritical, emotional reactions and the nontrivial amount of outdated, misrepresented, or just outright incorrect factual claims (see the article on this book by The Telegraph for specific examples, if you'd like), this book is not worth reading even to debunk. Do not trust a "science writer" who has no sources to cite, and do not trust someone who has already lost his reputation and job to "plagiarism and fabrications" to write a well-researched and factually correct work.
Unbeknownst to me before I bought and picked up this book, Johann Hari is a known serial plagiarizer and fabricator, and in my opinion should not be allowed to publish books in any public light. I found out from some research after I noticed that this book is full of obvious garbage.
Magic Pill gives the vibe of a book that was written by someone who just found out that McDonald's is not good for you, and instead of pulling any real conclusions from a chain of critical thinking, immediately sat down in a frenzied panic and wrote a book about it. It is a book written largely on emotion and surface-level observations claiming to be scientifically rigorous. Large amounts of the writing are simply saying things like "did you know your food contains something called 'meat glue'? Doesn't that sound gross?" and concluding that if it sounds gross, it must be bad for you.
Between useless reactionary ramblings with no actual backing other than uncritical, emotional reactions and the nontrivial amount of outdated, misrepresented, or just outright incorrect factual claims (see the article on this book by The Telegraph for specific examples, if you'd like), this book is not worth reading even to debunk. Do not trust a "science writer" who has no sources to cite, and do not trust someone who has already lost his reputation and job to "plagiarism and fabrications" to write a well-researched and factually correct work.
September 21, 2024
The first 1/4 of the book is mainly memoir mixed with how society found itself in this food/weight crisis and quite interesting. The rest of the book felt like a giant justification of his choice as a slightly overweight person to take ozempic and didn’t resonate with me at all. The chapter at the end on Japan was interesting as well but overall mixed feelings. He’s not the target market for this drug (diabetic, obese, etc) but doesn’t consider it a vanity project either. 🤷🏻♀️
July 6, 2024
In Magic Pill, journalist and author Johann Hari, whose niche is exploring cultural zeitgeists from an experimental perspective (see Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention— and How to Think Deeply Again), takes aim at injectable GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro that have become immensely popular starting around 2022-2023 for weight loss. This class of drugs has been in clinical use for around ten years to treat diabetes, but after significant weight loss was noted in diabetic patients on these treatments, they've become mainstream, used by those who are of normal weight who have the means and connections and want to become thinner (many celebrities and influencers come to mind), and such in demand to the point where there's a black market for people to buy and sell these drugs (of dubious quality and identity).
In classic Hari fashion, Hari's entry into this topic was being prescribed Ozempic himself. He had gained weight during the pandemic and used Wegovy to go from a BMI of 32 (class I obesity, well below the BMI 40 threshold of morbid obesity) to 22 (normal weight). (While Hari is British, I should point out that as of March 2024, Wegovy is FDA-approved in people with BMI >30, or in BMI >27 with at least one weight-related comorbidity, so Hari's use would be considered on-label in the US.) Hari spends several chapters weighing the pros and cons of his own Ozempic use - how he has lost weight but still doesn't eat healthily, how the side effects make him want to quit, how he is reminded of several family members and a close friend who passed away at young ages due to obesity complications, how he feels guilty being on Ozempic when others who need it more than him can't access it, and how his own vanity impacts his continued use of the drug now that he's reached a healthy weight.
Along the way, Hari explores why so many Western countries have developed staggering obesity rates since the 1980s (basically, ultra-processed food, though he doesn't directly reference Dr. Chris van Tulleken's Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food like I expected he would). He explores prior weight loss drugs that have risen and fallen in the past century, and touts GLP-1 agonists as the best thing since bariatric surgery for durable weight loss -- here, though, I think he should have used a more nuanced approach, since bariatric surgery includes reversible, minimally-invasive procedures like gastric lap banding and irreversible surgical procedures like gastric sleeve (where the stomach is surgically made significantly smaller) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (where the upper stomach is connected directly to the small intestine), as each type has its own risk and benefit profile. He also explores the body positivity movement that's, up until GLP-1 agonists exploded in popularity, removed some of the stigma of larger body weights, and he interviews Marilyn Wann, who pioneered a fat acceptance movement in the UK in the 1980s (Wann has since lost weight for health reasons, but not using GLP-1 agonists). The final part of the book narrates a trip he and his nephew took to Japan (maybe a way to spend the book advance? ;) ), one of the slimmest, healthiest nations in the world, to explore their food culture.
Overall, I think this is a thoughtful book on how GLP-1 agonists have changed the weight loss landscape in the last few years, but as Hari notes, time will tell what the long-term impacts of these drugs will be on society. As far as we know in 2024, these drugs are relatively safe (but long-term human data only goes back around 10 years), but need to be used for life to maintain weight loss, and certainly don't fix our broken food culture and poor food quality in the West.
Further reading:
Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food by Chris van Tulleken, MD
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
The Way We Eat Now: Strategies for Eating in a World of Change by Bee Wilson
First Bite: How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson
The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss by Jason Fung (about intermittent fasting, another movement that's gained popularity in recent years)
Never Out of Season: How Having the Food We Want When We Want It Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future by Rob Dunn
Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America by Michael Ruhlman (not on diet per se, but on the overall food supply chain in America)
The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America by Tommy Tomlinson
In classic Hari fashion, Hari's entry into this topic was being prescribed Ozempic himself. He had gained weight during the pandemic and used Wegovy to go from a BMI of 32 (class I obesity, well below the BMI 40 threshold of morbid obesity) to 22 (normal weight). (While Hari is British, I should point out that as of March 2024, Wegovy is FDA-approved in people with BMI >30, or in BMI >27 with at least one weight-related comorbidity, so Hari's use would be considered on-label in the US.) Hari spends several chapters weighing the pros and cons of his own Ozempic use - how he has lost weight but still doesn't eat healthily, how the side effects make him want to quit, how he is reminded of several family members and a close friend who passed away at young ages due to obesity complications, how he feels guilty being on Ozempic when others who need it more than him can't access it, and how his own vanity impacts his continued use of the drug now that he's reached a healthy weight.
Along the way, Hari explores why so many Western countries have developed staggering obesity rates since the 1980s (basically, ultra-processed food, though he doesn't directly reference Dr. Chris van Tulleken's Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food like I expected he would). He explores prior weight loss drugs that have risen and fallen in the past century, and touts GLP-1 agonists as the best thing since bariatric surgery for durable weight loss -- here, though, I think he should have used a more nuanced approach, since bariatric surgery includes reversible, minimally-invasive procedures like gastric lap banding and irreversible surgical procedures like gastric sleeve (where the stomach is surgically made significantly smaller) and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (where the upper stomach is connected directly to the small intestine), as each type has its own risk and benefit profile. He also explores the body positivity movement that's, up until GLP-1 agonists exploded in popularity, removed some of the stigma of larger body weights, and he interviews Marilyn Wann, who pioneered a fat acceptance movement in the UK in the 1980s (Wann has since lost weight for health reasons, but not using GLP-1 agonists). The final part of the book narrates a trip he and his nephew took to Japan (maybe a way to spend the book advance? ;) ), one of the slimmest, healthiest nations in the world, to explore their food culture.
Overall, I think this is a thoughtful book on how GLP-1 agonists have changed the weight loss landscape in the last few years, but as Hari notes, time will tell what the long-term impacts of these drugs will be on society. As far as we know in 2024, these drugs are relatively safe (but long-term human data only goes back around 10 years), but need to be used for life to maintain weight loss, and certainly don't fix our broken food culture and poor food quality in the West.
Further reading:
Ultra-Processed People: The Science Behind Food That Isn't Food by Chris van Tulleken, MD
In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto by Michael Pollan
The Way We Eat Now: Strategies for Eating in a World of Change by Bee Wilson
First Bite: How We Learn to Eat by Bee Wilson
The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss by Jason Fung (about intermittent fasting, another movement that's gained popularity in recent years)
Never Out of Season: How Having the Food We Want When We Want It Threatens Our Food Supply and Our Future by Rob Dunn
Grocery: The Buying and Selling of Food in America by Michael Ruhlman (not on diet per se, but on the overall food supply chain in America)
The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man's Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America by Tommy Tomlinson
October 23, 2024
The author does, as always, blend his personal story with hard science in an informative and moving way. Having gained a lot of weight, he started injecting himself with ozempic. It’s actually a drug for diabetics, but unless you have been living under a rock lately, you will have heard that it also works miracles on weight. Even in Norway, medical doctors are now prescribing it for the severely obese.
The author delves into the science of obesity and nutrition, along with the known risks of the drug. Plus all the effects we might not know of yet. I agree with him when he says we have an artificial way of solving an artificial problem. If it wasn’t for the obesity epidemic caused by the unregulated, pernicious and greedy food industry, we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic. If you find my pointing fingers drastic, it is still true. Every country where ultra processed foods have been introduced and large scale adopted, have had a population go from lean to overweight.
The problem is complicated by biology. Your body will strive to go back to its highest set point. I know that. During the past three decades, my weight has oscillated between 50 and 75 kg, often but not always, in five year cycles. I can successfully lose weight and keep it off for a year or two, before it accumulates again. The process of regaining is much slower than losing it. During the last loss cycle in 2018, I lost 20 kg in 6 months- most of it in just six weeks. How? I started running. I haven’t stopped, but I like to eat. Earlier this year I stopped eating most ultra processed food and even learned to cook sauce. The quality of my culinary life has increased significantly, and my weight has continued to creep up. I still have ten kilos to go to my highest set point, but rather than resign to this, I am ramping up training instead. I will say this though: eating real food cooked from scratch fills me up very quickly. I can eat an entire frozen pizza on my own, but only two small slices of my own from scratch.
Of course, even at my heaviest, I am barely overweight, much less obese.
EDIT: I have now find the miracle cure and am down to my ideal weight - I lost 4 kg in two weeks earlier this fall - by finally reading up on nutrition. I eat as much as I want, but restrict all carbs and avoid added sugar (refined carbs). I’m on a high fat, high fiber and high protein “diet” and have never felt better. I cook my own food from scratch, with few exceptions. The low carb diet will have you shed water, but it also reduces fat. I could literally see the fat around my waist melt away in a matter of days. Note: I was probably just in the early stages of metabolical disease and quickly recovered partly because of years of regular exercise. My cycles of weight loss have always started with a restriction of carbs in addition to exercise.
The poor author didn’t even know how to cook fresh food. He learned, but it’s still sad. Cooking is a skill that requires years of practice and refinement.
I don’t know what to think after this book. Ozempic and other weight loss drugs are really for diabetics and there are often shortages. We don’t know the long term risks of the drugs. We know the risks of being overweight and all the health problems brought along with it. Still, stigma and finger pointing does no good. The problem is the food industry and biology, not just lifestyle and poor choices. Before you start on medication, consider what you eat.
The author delves into the science of obesity and nutrition, along with the known risks of the drug. Plus all the effects we might not know of yet. I agree with him when he says we have an artificial way of solving an artificial problem. If it wasn’t for the obesity epidemic caused by the unregulated, pernicious and greedy food industry, we wouldn’t have an obesity epidemic. If you find my pointing fingers drastic, it is still true. Every country where ultra processed foods have been introduced and large scale adopted, have had a population go from lean to overweight.
The problem is complicated by biology. Your body will strive to go back to its highest set point. I know that. During the past three decades, my weight has oscillated between 50 and 75 kg, often but not always, in five year cycles. I can successfully lose weight and keep it off for a year or two, before it accumulates again. The process of regaining is much slower than losing it. During the last loss cycle in 2018, I lost 20 kg in 6 months- most of it in just six weeks. How? I started running. I haven’t stopped, but I like to eat. Earlier this year I stopped eating most ultra processed food and even learned to cook sauce. The quality of my culinary life has increased significantly, and my weight has continued to creep up. I still have ten kilos to go to my highest set point, but rather than resign to this, I am ramping up training instead. I will say this though: eating real food cooked from scratch fills me up very quickly. I can eat an entire frozen pizza on my own, but only two small slices of my own from scratch.
Of course, even at my heaviest, I am barely overweight, much less obese.
EDIT: I have now find the miracle cure and am down to my ideal weight - I lost 4 kg in two weeks earlier this fall - by finally reading up on nutrition. I eat as much as I want, but restrict all carbs and avoid added sugar (refined carbs). I’m on a high fat, high fiber and high protein “diet” and have never felt better. I cook my own food from scratch, with few exceptions. The low carb diet will have you shed water, but it also reduces fat. I could literally see the fat around my waist melt away in a matter of days. Note: I was probably just in the early stages of metabolical disease and quickly recovered partly because of years of regular exercise. My cycles of weight loss have always started with a restriction of carbs in addition to exercise.
The poor author didn’t even know how to cook fresh food. He learned, but it’s still sad. Cooking is a skill that requires years of practice and refinement.
I don’t know what to think after this book. Ozempic and other weight loss drugs are really for diabetics and there are often shortages. We don’t know the long term risks of the drugs. We know the risks of being overweight and all the health problems brought along with it. Still, stigma and finger pointing does no good. The problem is the food industry and biology, not just lifestyle and poor choices. Before you start on medication, consider what you eat.
July 4, 2024
This was a thought-provoking read! Recently it seems that Ozempic™ is everywhere. I see the advertisements for it on TV (and for its partner drug Wegovy™); it is being debated on podcasts; and there are memes about it. Magic Pill by Johann Hari is an in-depth and heartfelt analysis of the pros and cons of the weight loss wonder drug - written from a very personal perspective since Hari has struggled with his weight all his life and is currently taking the drug himself.
I feel Hari is an ideal writer to address the topic, given its sensitivity. He delves into the science behind the obesity epidemic and society's cultural fixation on body size, the pitfalls of prior treatments for weight loss, and the societal movement to accept bodies of all sizes. There is no shame in these pages. There is only a questioning of the medical establishment, of society, of big pharma, of the food service business and of himself. It will cause you to be angry at the way in which we have allowed the greed of big business to prioritize profits over our health and the environment.
Hari doesn't try to predict the future or to offer a neat solution. He does however pose questions for us to consider, both individually and collectively, and offers an alternative way of living and eating for the reader to consider. I feel I have learned so much from this well-written book and it is leading me to rethink my approach to food.
I feel Hari is an ideal writer to address the topic, given its sensitivity. He delves into the science behind the obesity epidemic and society's cultural fixation on body size, the pitfalls of prior treatments for weight loss, and the societal movement to accept bodies of all sizes. There is no shame in these pages. There is only a questioning of the medical establishment, of society, of big pharma, of the food service business and of himself. It will cause you to be angry at the way in which we have allowed the greed of big business to prioritize profits over our health and the environment.
Hari doesn't try to predict the future or to offer a neat solution. He does however pose questions for us to consider, both individually and collectively, and offers an alternative way of living and eating for the reader to consider. I feel I have learned so much from this well-written book and it is leading me to rethink my approach to food.
February 27, 2024
Think this is about how Ozempic developed? Think again.
Hari turns the story of one little magic pill into a magical, captivating journey through his own life; the morals we balance; and the broken food culture of the West.
Hari turns the story of one little magic pill into a magical, captivating journey through his own life; the morals we balance; and the broken food culture of the West.
June 9, 2025
well this one was really fun to read right after ultra-processed people because, ultimately, weight loss and diabetes medications like ozempic exist due to UPF. big pharma 🤝 big food
the author himself is on ozempic for weight loss, so i thought that all his research was very well informed and his conclusions were very thoughtful. the use of these drugs for weight loss is honestly a very interesting discussion point because obesity carries with it many complications, so these medications can save people a lot of suffering, while also saving the healthcare systems a lot of money. that being said, we still do not really know what this medication does. but we do know that the molecule is active in the brain, and that’s honestly a bit concerning. we are watching a giant clinical trial unfold in real time
the author himself is on ozempic for weight loss, so i thought that all his research was very well informed and his conclusions were very thoughtful. the use of these drugs for weight loss is honestly a very interesting discussion point because obesity carries with it many complications, so these medications can save people a lot of suffering, while also saving the healthcare systems a lot of money. that being said, we still do not really know what this medication does. but we do know that the molecule is active in the brain, and that’s honestly a bit concerning. we are watching a giant clinical trial unfold in real time
January 14, 2025
Interesting and timely topic; this book was relatively engaging. But the analysis was weak and felt very shallow, and the argumentation and logic tended to be weak too. Though Hari generates a semblance of analysis and of engaging with counterpoints, it seems he’s frequently strawmanning and not really considering opposing arguments, adding to this insufferably condescending language. “Sadly, it turns out they [the people who I disagree with] were wrong”. Spare me the arrogant “sadly”. He postures at engaging with the issue of fatphobia and with the Fat Pride and Healthy At Every Size movements, but seems incapable or unwilling of interrogating the actual and obvious fat phobia he reifies all over.
Also, his engagement with feminist and trauma literature was extremely weak and seems stuck in 2017/stuck in the tidbits he’s heard from his famous friends. (Though I was happy to see this dimension around bodies and culture at least addressed). Some of his points here revealed both his lack of understanding as well as some offensive arguments and beliefs. Eg in discussing the psychological functions of obesity, he writes that obesity “keeps us safe from most sexual predators” (p.207). He’s wrong and applying an offensive logic - it’s a fine but very important distinction to make that obesity/fatness can provide perceived/psychological safety, and I understand this is what he’s attempting to refer to. But to state this as actual material safety is offensive as it implies that sexual violence is about how the victim/survivor looks. Also offensive to imply fat people couldn’t be sexually attractive. So here, once again, Hari reifies and reinforces offensive and incorrect dominant paradigms, seemingly failing to properly understand the feminist literature he invokes.
Many of his anecdotes were told very annoyingly and in my opinion unethically. Eg the repeated references to his “friend” Hannah- I found the way he wrote about her so unkind, distasteful, and fatphobic that I almost abandoned the book in anger at the beginning. It’s disrespectful, period, but especially disrespectful to the memory of someone who has passed away.
To be fair to him, I guess, he used the same cruel, sensationalistic tone and humour towards himself, for example writing that when his friend was recently teaching him to cook as an adult (he’s in his 40s), he was “fascinated to discover it [chicken] could come in non-nugget form” (p.165). Come on.
I agree with this reviewer that his “breathless style” is grating - “he’s always learning things”. https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
I’m unsurprised to learn there was a scandal years ago about the author plagiarizing and fabricating info https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Also there’s a cringey chapter on Japan.
This book feels like if you turned click bait into a book. It’s sensationalistic while pretending to be research. Hope I’ll encounter some better writing about this important and current topic. This ain’t it
Also, his engagement with feminist and trauma literature was extremely weak and seems stuck in 2017/stuck in the tidbits he’s heard from his famous friends. (Though I was happy to see this dimension around bodies and culture at least addressed). Some of his points here revealed both his lack of understanding as well as some offensive arguments and beliefs. Eg in discussing the psychological functions of obesity, he writes that obesity “keeps us safe from most sexual predators” (p.207). He’s wrong and applying an offensive logic - it’s a fine but very important distinction to make that obesity/fatness can provide perceived/psychological safety, and I understand this is what he’s attempting to refer to. But to state this as actual material safety is offensive as it implies that sexual violence is about how the victim/survivor looks. Also offensive to imply fat people couldn’t be sexually attractive. So here, once again, Hari reifies and reinforces offensive and incorrect dominant paradigms, seemingly failing to properly understand the feminist literature he invokes.
Many of his anecdotes were told very annoyingly and in my opinion unethically. Eg the repeated references to his “friend” Hannah- I found the way he wrote about her so unkind, distasteful, and fatphobic that I almost abandoned the book in anger at the beginning. It’s disrespectful, period, but especially disrespectful to the memory of someone who has passed away.
To be fair to him, I guess, he used the same cruel, sensationalistic tone and humour towards himself, for example writing that when his friend was recently teaching him to cook as an adult (he’s in his 40s), he was “fascinated to discover it [chicken] could come in non-nugget form” (p.165). Come on.
I agree with this reviewer that his “breathless style” is grating - “he’s always learning things”. https://www.theguardian.com/books/202...
I’m unsurprised to learn there was a scandal years ago about the author plagiarizing and fabricating info https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/...
Also there’s a cringey chapter on Japan.
This book feels like if you turned click bait into a book. It’s sensationalistic while pretending to be research. Hope I’ll encounter some better writing about this important and current topic. This ain’t it
October 23, 2024
It's not a typical book I read, but Johann Hari (the author) has appeared in an episode of one of the podcasts I listen to (TBH, I'm not sure which one: BigTechnology? Jordan Peterson? Making Sense?), and I really enjoyed the discussion.
First of all, yes, it's a book (mostly) about Ozempic (and other similar ones in the new wave of weight-loss drugs). But probably not in the way you think:
- it's not unconditional praise, nor is it a rage-filled, zealous rant
- yes, JH writes about what's specific about Ozempic (from a medical/chemical point of view), but he doesn't dive super-deep here; he doesn't have the competence - the majority of us (his readers) don't have them either
- JH spends a lot of time speculating about mid- and long-term outcomes of Ozempic popularity: how it will impact our approach to food, the way we deal with various issues (yes!), even the potential consequences for economics (albeit, this part is faaaar to short and just screams for more elaboration)
- there are also interesting chapters on e.g., realistic alternatives to Ozempic (historical and current ones) - why didn't/don't they work & what can we learn out of that; also on why some countries (e.g., Japan have literally no market for Ozempic - and why common myths about that are not true)
The best thing about this book is that it's not a sponsored, taut, crypto-marketing of a new product. Hari uses Ozempic himself, and he's not afraid to share his worries. He also goes through his own rationale, how he compared various risks (of not taking vs taking Ozempic), etc. - this makes the book feel very authentic. It doesn't try to convince you to anything, it just equips you in some more data, historical context and good advice, so you can make a decision yourself (if you feel you're in the need of such a drug).
Very recommended, even if you don't have an issue with weight - regardless of if we like it or not, it seems that Ozempic will have a very large impact on our civilisation in the next (at least) 10 years.
First of all, yes, it's a book (mostly) about Ozempic (and other similar ones in the new wave of weight-loss drugs). But probably not in the way you think:
- it's not unconditional praise, nor is it a rage-filled, zealous rant
- yes, JH writes about what's specific about Ozempic (from a medical/chemical point of view), but he doesn't dive super-deep here; he doesn't have the competence - the majority of us (his readers) don't have them either
- JH spends a lot of time speculating about mid- and long-term outcomes of Ozempic popularity: how it will impact our approach to food, the way we deal with various issues (yes!), even the potential consequences for economics (albeit, this part is faaaar to short and just screams for more elaboration)
- there are also interesting chapters on e.g., realistic alternatives to Ozempic (historical and current ones) - why didn't/don't they work & what can we learn out of that; also on why some countries (e.g., Japan have literally no market for Ozempic - and why common myths about that are not true)
The best thing about this book is that it's not a sponsored, taut, crypto-marketing of a new product. Hari uses Ozempic himself, and he's not afraid to share his worries. He also goes through his own rationale, how he compared various risks (of not taking vs taking Ozempic), etc. - this makes the book feel very authentic. It doesn't try to convince you to anything, it just equips you in some more data, historical context and good advice, so you can make a decision yourself (if you feel you're in the need of such a drug).
Very recommended, even if you don't have an issue with weight - regardless of if we like it or not, it seems that Ozempic will have a very large impact on our civilisation in the next (at least) 10 years.
May 23, 2024
My curiosity was piqued when I saw The Magic Pill. A relative wound up in the hospital for two weeks last year after injecting one of the new weight-loss drugs. (To be fair, his reaction seems to be unusual. He became so dehydrated that it affected brain function. He recovered several months after stopping the drug.) Johann Hari presents a balanced view of these medications and ponders at their place in the future. With obesity being a global problem, will these drugs be a way of life? Hari himself takes Ozempic, and relates his experiences. My favorite part of the book, near the end, looks at the low rates of obesity in Japan. That chapter reminded me of the Blue Zones books by Dan Buettner. The discussion of nutrition education for children in school to the continuing active lifestyle of a 102-year old woman impressed me.
I feel I would be remiss to leave out that I saw in a review from "Pete" on Goodreads a recommendation to read the Wikipedia page of Johann Hari. It reveals some concerning episodes of plagiarism and false reporting. While I found this book to be interesting and informative, the particulars of Hari's past will leave me wondering about the accuracy of his writing.
I feel I would be remiss to leave out that I saw in a review from "Pete" on Goodreads a recommendation to read the Wikipedia page of Johann Hari. It reveals some concerning episodes of plagiarism and false reporting. While I found this book to be interesting and informative, the particulars of Hari's past will leave me wondering about the accuracy of his writing.
June 12, 2024
I fell into the semaglutide/GLP1 rabbit hole after listening to the Acquired Podcast’s episode on Novo Nordisk. (Sidenote: The Acquired Podcast is a must-listen if you like business, history, and storytelling.)
I picked up this book thinking I would get to know more about this class of drugs, its history, and its effects. But I was in for a surprise. This book is a very personal and vulnerable journey of Johann Hari’s experience with the new semaglutide drug - Ozempic, body image issues, eating disorders and healthy eating.
What stunned me about this book was the description of the food industrial complex. I know it is important to eat plant-based or real food instead of food manufactured in a plant, but it really hit hard to see the kind of impact industrialised food manufacturing has on our eating habits and on our long-term health.
I found this book to be a super interesting read, and it included a lot of food (ha!) for thinking about nutrition, fitness, and eating.
I picked up this book thinking I would get to know more about this class of drugs, its history, and its effects. But I was in for a surprise. This book is a very personal and vulnerable journey of Johann Hari’s experience with the new semaglutide drug - Ozempic, body image issues, eating disorders and healthy eating.
What stunned me about this book was the description of the food industrial complex. I know it is important to eat plant-based or real food instead of food manufactured in a plant, but it really hit hard to see the kind of impact industrialised food manufacturing has on our eating habits and on our long-term health.
I found this book to be a super interesting read, and it included a lot of food (ha!) for thinking about nutrition, fitness, and eating.
August 7, 2024
The author opens the book by saying this isn’t a pro ozempic book nor is it an anti ozempic book. Unfortunately before we even get that far in the book you can tell which way the author leans. I truly was looking for a neutral review of the information out there on ozempic and gang in order to be a more informed clinician. This book was not it. As an eating disorder dietitian who practices IE and HAES, it was very disappointing.
November 10, 2024
Eye-opening and well written.
June 10, 2025
What a fantastic book. It starts as if this was an investigative piece about Johann Hari’s experience with Ozempic and what we know about the drug. It ends up being an informed and personal book about why we eat.
This book covers the good, the bad, and the ugly of why we need weightloss drugs. I tried making a summary of the topics it covers but they’re so many: the increasing obesity rates over the years; health risks of being overweight; eating for pleasure, anxiety, or trauma (“overweight is overlooked”); side effects of Ozempic; how people who used to be obese and lost the weight just replace it with another addiction (binge eating and shopping being the big ones); diet culture and young girls; the dangers an affordable, OTC magic weightloss drugs pose on the restrictive disorder community; why Japan is the “land without obesity”; Health at Every Size; etc.
This book felt almost personal for me. I’m one of these ex-obese people who replaced eating with an eating disorder, then replaced that with an addiction to shopping, then binge drinking, and now… working out. If you know me, you know I’m dying to try Ozempic. I’ve even added myself in a waitlist for Wegovy. Now, let’s be clear about this, I do not need it. To get in the waitlist, you just need to write down your weight (or lie about it - nobody checks, there’s no video calls. This book addresses this). It’s become a joke among friends because OF COURSE I’d want to try it. I used to think once this was OTC and affordable, it’d be one of those “Jesus take the wheel” type of thing. But this book made me change my mind.
This book has given me a less glamorous perspective to Ozempic/Wegovy. Do I still want to try it? Yeah. Mostly because I went through the shitty, hard bit of losing all that weight, and I want to see how it would feel like if it was “easy.” But using it for more than a week sounds awful, no thank you.
I do have one nitpick about the book, as Hari tries to speak about the issues of “the West.” The United States isn’t the West.
This book covers the good, the bad, and the ugly of why we need weightloss drugs. I tried making a summary of the topics it covers but they’re so many: the increasing obesity rates over the years; health risks of being overweight; eating for pleasure, anxiety, or trauma (“overweight is overlooked”); side effects of Ozempic; how people who used to be obese and lost the weight just replace it with another addiction (binge eating and shopping being the big ones); diet culture and young girls; the dangers an affordable, OTC magic weightloss drugs pose on the restrictive disorder community; why Japan is the “land without obesity”; Health at Every Size; etc.
This book felt almost personal for me. I’m one of these ex-obese people who replaced eating with an eating disorder, then replaced that with an addiction to shopping, then binge drinking, and now… working out. If you know me, you know I’m dying to try Ozempic. I’ve even added myself in a waitlist for Wegovy. Now, let’s be clear about this, I do not need it. To get in the waitlist, you just need to write down your weight (or lie about it - nobody checks, there’s no video calls. This book addresses this). It’s become a joke among friends because OF COURSE I’d want to try it. I used to think once this was OTC and affordable, it’d be one of those “Jesus take the wheel” type of thing. But this book made me change my mind.
This book has given me a less glamorous perspective to Ozempic/Wegovy. Do I still want to try it? Yeah. Mostly because I went through the shitty, hard bit of losing all that weight, and I want to see how it would feel like if it was “easy.” But using it for more than a week sounds awful, no thank you.
I do have one nitpick about the book, as Hari tries to speak about the issues of “the West.” The United States isn’t the West.
February 1, 2025
As always Johann Hari does an amazing, detailed job of researching and displaying all sides of a subject. I highly recommend you read this, no matter whether you have made up your mind about the subject of weight loss drugs or you have no opinion at all.
September 30, 2024
Fantastic book! Full of scary and interesting stats about the food industry and weight loss drugs. While I have no intention to take this drug, it made me rethink about all the processed food available on the market. A quick fix sounds promising but the risks are too great.
October 28, 2025
A wonderful book. It seems like the magic pill is realistically speaking a magic pill since it deals with much more than obesity, including cholesterol, heart disease and other addictions. Very interesting points of view from friends, doctors, Big Pharma and so on. We'll just have to wait and see if the risks are greater than the benefits.
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