{"id":88219,"date":"2023-06-22T16:00:38","date_gmt":"2023-06-22T20:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&#038;p=88219"},"modified":"2025-08-19T09:37:06","modified_gmt":"2025-08-19T13:37:06","slug":"ozempic-use-weight-loss-view","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/ozempic-use-weight-loss-view\/","title":{"rendered":"Listen: Widespread use of Ozempic for weight loss could change how we view fatness"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<section class=\"w-screen px-6 cu-section cu-section--white ml-offset-center md:px-8 lg:px-14\">\n    <div class=\"space-y-6 cu-max-w-child-max  md:space-y-10 cu-prose-first-last\">\n\n        \n                    \n                    \n            \n    <div class=\"cu-wideimage relative flex items-center justify-center mx-auto px-8 overflow-hidden md:px-16 rounded-xl not-prose  my-6 md:my-12 first:mt-0 bg-opacity-50 bg-cover bg-cu-black-50 pt-24 pb-32 md:pt-28 md:pb-44 lg:pt-36 lg:pb-60 xl:pt-48 xl:pb-72\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/162\/pexels-feet-on-scale-1200x900-1.jpg); background-position: 50% 50%;\">\n\n                    <div class=\"absolute top-0 w-full h-screen\" style=\"background-color:rgba(0,0,0,0.600);\"><\/div>\n        \n        <div class=\"relative z-[2] max-w-4xl w-full flex flex-col items-center gap-2 cu-wideimage-image cu-zero-first-last\">\n            <header class=\"mx-auto mb-6 text-center text-white cu-pageheader cu-component-updated cu-pageheader--center md:mb-12\">\n\n                                    <h1 class=\"cu-prose-first-last font-semibold mb-2 text-3xl md:text-4xl lg:text-5xl lg:leading-[3.5rem] cu-pageheader--center text-center mx-auto after:left-px\">\n                        Listen: Widespread use of Ozempic for weight loss could change how we view fatness\n                    <\/h1>\n                \n                            <\/header>\n        <\/div>\n\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"absolute bottom-0 w-full z-[1]\" fill=\"none\" viewbox=\"0 0 1280 312\">\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M26.412 315.608c-.602-.268-6.655-2.412-13.524-4.769a1943.84 1943.84 0 0 1-14.682-5.144l-2.276-.858v-5.358c0-4.876.086-5.358.773-5.09 1.674.643 21.38 5.84 34.646 9.109 14.682 3.59 28.935 6.858 45.936 10.449l9.874 2.089H57.322c-16.4 0-30.31-.16-30.91-.428ZM460.019 315.233c42.974-10.074 75.602-19.88 132.443-39.867 76.16-26.791 152.063-57.709 222.385-90.663 16.7-7.823 21.336-10.074 44.262-21.273 85.004-41.688 134.719-64.193 195.291-88.413 66.55-26.577 145.2-53.584 194.27-66.765C1258.5 5.626 1281.34 0 1282.24 0c.17 0 .34 27.596.34 61.3v61.299l-2.23.375c-84.7 13.718-165.93 35.955-310.736 84.931-46.494 15.753-65.427 22.076-96.166 32.15-9.102 3-24.814 8.198-34.989 11.574-107.543 35.954-153.008 50.422-196.626 62.639l-6.74 1.876-89.126-.054c-78.135-.054-88.782-.161-85.948-.857ZM729.628 312.875c33.229-10.985 69.248-23.523 127.506-44.207 118.705-42.223 164.596-57.709 217.446-73.302 2.62-.75 8.29-2.465 12.67-3.751 56.19-16.772 126.94-33.597 184.17-43.671 5.07-.91 9.66-1.768 10.22-1.875l.94-.161v170.236l-281.28-.054H719.968l9.66-3.215ZM246.864 313.411c-65.041-2.251-143.047-12.11-208.432-26.256-18.375-3.965-41.73-9.538-42.202-10.074-.171-.214-.257-21.38-.214-47.046l.129-46.618 6.654 3.697c57.313 32.043 118.491 56.531 197.699 79.143 40.313 11.521 83.459 18.058 138.669 21.059 15.584.857 65.685.857 81.14 0 33.744-1.876 61.306-4.93 88.396-9.806 6.396-1.126 11.634-1.983 11.722-1.929.255.375-20.48 7.769-30.999 11.038-28.592 8.948-59.288 15.646-91.873 20.147-26.36 3.59-50.015 5.627-78.35 6.698-15.584.59-55.209.59-72.339-.053Z\"><\/path>\n                <path fill=\"#fff\" d=\"M-3.066 295.067 32.06 304.1v9.033H-3.066v-18.066Z\"><\/path>\n            <\/svg>\n            <\/div>\n\n    \n\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<p>This article is <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/listen-widespread-use-of-ozempic-for-weight-loss-could-change-how-we-view-fatness-206457\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">republished<\/a> from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. All photos provided by <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Conversation<\/a> from various sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"no\" height=\"200px\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/player.simplecast.com\/325083d9-aeee-49a3-a16e-2ef5bdce4fad?dark=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It seems like everywhere you look these days, on TikTok, on the sides of buses, in news headlines, you see Ozempic, the drug originally created as a diabetes treatment, but now being used as a weight-loss method.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ever since it <a href=\"https:\/\/globalnews.ca\/news\/9618159\/ozempic-diabetes-weight-loss-drug-policy\/#:%7E:text=Novo%20Nordisk%20actually,yet%20in%20Canada.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">arrived in Canada<\/a>, it&#8217;s been in incredibly high demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Ozempic may just be the next in a long line of get-thin-quick fads, it&#8217;s already causing a lot of issues, many of which are especially felt by racialized communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com\/episodes\/widespread-use-of-ozempic-for-weight-loss-could-change-the-way-we-view-fatness\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">In this episode of <em>Don&#8217;t Call Me Resilient<\/em><\/a>, we are joined by fat and disability studies professor Fady Shanouda, who examines anti-fat bias in medicine. As the use of Ozempic, a drug for diabetes, slams into the mainstream as a weight-loss method, will the drug&#8217;s use impact our concept of fatness? And how does fatness intersect with race and class? How might the craze for Ozempic deepen racial and class disparities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"higher-risk-for-diabetes\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Higher risk for diabetes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In the United States and Canada, Black, Indigenous and South Asian communities are at a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. A <a href=\"https:\/\/news.umanitoba.ca\/rate-of-children-diagnosed-with-type-2-diabetes-rises-over-50-over-last-10-years-mchp-study-finds\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">recent report<\/a> revealed that First Nations children in Manitoba are 25 times more likely to be diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes than other children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/533254\/original\/file-20230621-21-h6xfhj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A person with their shirt pulled up and stomach exposed, with an ozempic injection in their right hand\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">A person prepares an Ozempic injection to use to control blood sugar levels.<\/span><br>\n<span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">myskin\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The cost of Ozempic already puts certain communities at a disadvantage. In Canada, Ozempic costs around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/news\/canada\/british-columbia\/ozempic-canada-british-columbia-how-it-works-1.6794950\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$300 a month<\/a> and in the U.S., the price is about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/obesity\/news\/20230503\/ozempic-cost-coupons-and-ways-to-save-cash\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$1,000 a month<\/a>. While many rely on health insurance for prescriptions, insurance for the most part does not cover Ozempic for non-diabetic use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"the-racist-roots-of-fighting-obesity\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The racist roots of fighting obesity<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Prof. Shanouda explains how fatness has been negatively associated with Blackness, both historically and currently. These harmful conceptions of fatness influences the treatment of racialized communities in health care. This includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2023\/03\/27\/will-the-ozempic-era-change-how-we-think-about-being-fat-and-being-thin\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">frequent misdiagnosis, under-treatment and frequent fat-shaming by doctors<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"not-prose cu-quote cu-component-spacing\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>&#8220;I imagine fat people will be asked all the time now: why they continue to be fat and why they&#8217;re not on Ozempic. It is presenting us with a supposed solution for a human variation that has existed for all time. There have always been fat people. There will always be fat people.&#8221; &#8211; Fady Shanouda<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 id=\"listen-and-follow\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Listen and Follow<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can listen to or follow <em><a href=\"https:\/\/dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com\/episodes\/listen-to-an-american-canadian-trans-scholar-and-activist-explain-why-trans-rights-are-under-attack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Don&#8217;t Call Me Resilient<\/a><\/em> on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/ca\/podcast\/dont-call-me-resilient\/id1549798876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9qZFg0Ql9DOA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Podcasts<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/37tK4zmjWvq2Sh6jLIpzp7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spotify<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"mailto:DCMR@theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">We&#8217;d love to hear from you<\/a>, including any ideas for future episodes. Join The Conversation on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ConversationCA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheConversationCanada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theconversationdotcom\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@theconversation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TikTok<\/a> and use #DontCallMeResilient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image align-right\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.theconversation.com\/files\/533291\/original\/file-20230621-21-sf20hh.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip\" alt=\"A book cover with an drawing of Sara Baartman, and African women displayed in a zoo in 1800s England, for her body shape\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><span class=\"caption\">Sabrina Strings&#8217;s book cover for &#8216;Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia&#8217; published by New York University Press.<\/span><br>\n<span class=\"attribution\"><span class=\"source\">NYU Press<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"resources\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scientificamerican.com\/article\/the-racist-roots-of-fighting-obesity2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Racist Roots of Fighting Obesity<br>\n<\/a> (<em>Scientific American<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/06\/14\/health\/obesity-drugs-wegovy-ozempic.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">New Obesity Drugs Come With a Side Effect of Shaming <\/a> (<em>The New York Times)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/where-black-people-fit-ozepmic-140728627.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Where do Black people fit into the Ozempic conversation?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/nyupress.org\/9781479886753\/fearing-the-black-body\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fatphobia<\/em><\/a> by Sabrina Strings<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.inanna.ca\/product\/fat-studies-in-canada-remapping-the-field-in-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fat and Mad Bodies: Under, Out of, and Beyond Control<\/a> by Fady Shanouda in <em>Fat Studies in Canada: (Re)Mapping the Field<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/why-im-nonbinary-but-dont-use-they-them_b_58ac875ee4b05e6b9b192c07\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why I&#8217;m Non-Binary But Don&#8217;t Use &#8216;They\/Them&#8217;<\/a> by Hunter Ashleigh Shackelford<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.press.umich.edu\/11700274\/queer_nightlife\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jockstraps and Crop Tops: Fat Queer Femmes Dressing for the Night<\/a> by Caleb Luna in <em>Queer Nightlife<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>__<br>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\">Carleton Newsroom<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/206457\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It seems like everywhere you look these days, on TikTok, on the sides of buses, in news headlines, you see Ozempic, the drug originally created as a diabetes treatment, but now being used as a weight-loss method.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":88222,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[1623],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-88219","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-expert-perspectives"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/88219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/88219\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":88769,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/88219\/revisions\/88769"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=88219"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=88219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}