Hello! As with my previous books, I am posting here the audio of the quotes used in the book, so you can listen along as you read it…
In a small number of cases, you’ll notice that the words they said are slightly different to the words in the book. That’s because after I interviewed the scientists here, I emailed them the text of their words, and they very occasionally asked to amend their words to make what they said more precise or accurate.
The US and British editions of the book have different page numbers, so in the descriptions below, the first page number you see is the US version and the second is the UK version.
INTRODUCTION:
THE HOLY GRAIL
Page xi /Page 3
Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College, London, on the new weight loss drugs:
Page xi/Page 3
Dr Clemence Blouet, an obesity researcher at Cambridge University, discusses these drugs:
Page xii /Page 3
Graham MacGregor, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Queen Mary University in London, discusses the drugs:
Page xii/Page 4
Jerold Mande – an adjunct Professor of Nutrition at Harvard best known for designing the nutritional label displayed on all food in the United States – discusses the deaths caused by obesity and poor diet:
CHAPTER ONE:
FINDING THE TREASURE CHEST
Page 4/Page 26
Daniel Drucker, professor of medicine at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, discusses his role in the discovery of GLP-1:
Page 5/Page 27
Dr Drucker describes his “a-ha moment”:
Page 5/Page 27
Dr Drucker discusses its role in creating insulin:
Page 8/Page 27
Dr Drucker discusses the role the lizard known as the Gila monster played in further breakthroughs:
Page 7/Page 29
John Wilding, who is a Professor at the University of Liverpool leading research into Obesity, Diabetes and Endocrinology, discusses his role in the breakthroughs that led to the new obesity drugs:
Page 9/Page 31
Daniel Drucker discusses more:
Page 9/Page 32
John Wilding discusses more:
Page 10/Page 32
Robert Kushner, Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University, discusses his role in one of the key clinical trials:
Page 10/Page 33
He discusses further:
Page 12/Page 34
Daniel Drucker discusses how people talk to him about these drugs now:
Page 12/Page 35
Robert Kushner discusses further:
Page 12/Page 35
Daniel discusses the transition from injections to pills:
Page 13/Page 35
Carel Le Roux discusses the speed of the new research:
Page 16/Page 39
Sunny Naughton discusses her experiences taking one of these drugs:
Page 17/Page 39
She discusses further:
Page 17/Page 39
And further:
Page 17/Page 40
And further:
Page 18/Page 40
Carel Le Roux explains some of the side effects:
CHAPTER TWO:
CHEESECAKE PARK
Page 32/Page 55
Paul Kenny, head of Neuroscience at Mount Sinai in New York, discusses moving to the US:
Page 32/Page 55
He discusses the experiment I nickname “Cheesecake Park”
Page 32/Page 56
And further:
Page 33/Page 57
And further:
Page 33/Page 57
And more:
Page 34/Page 57
And more:
Page 34/Page 58
And more:
Page 36/Page 60
And more:
CHAPTER THREE:
THE DEATH AND REBIRTH OF SATIETY
Page 38/Page 61
Jerold Mande discusses the effects of processed and ultra-processed food:
Page 38/Page 62
Paul Kenny discusses this too:
Page 39/Page 63
Tim Spector discusses chewing:
Page 40/Page 64
Dr Giles Yeo, an obesity researcher at Cambridge University, discusses processed food:
Page 41/Page 65
Tim Spector discusses energy spikes and crashes:
Page 44/Page 68
Tim Spector discusses the effects of artificial sweeteners:
Page 44/Page 68
He discusses further:
Page 44/Page 68
Jerold Mande discusses how processed food affects us further:
Page 45/Page 69
Tim Spector discusses the effect of our current diets on gut health:
Page 48/Page 73
Carel Le Roux discusses the effect of the new weight loss drugs on satiety:
Page 48/Page 73
Daniel Drucker discusses the same topic:
Page 49/Page 73
Michael Lowe, Professor of Clinical Psychology at Drexel University, discusses the new weight loss drugs:
Page 49/Page 74
And further:
Page 49/Page 74
And further:
Page 49/Page 74
And further:
Page 50/Page 74
And he discusses his doubts more:
Page 50/Page 74
And further:
Page 50/Page 75
And further:
Page 50/Page 75
And further:
Page 54/Page 78
Jeff Parker discusses his experiences taking the new weight loss drugs:
Page 54/Page 79
And more:
Page 54/Page 79
And more:
Page 55/Page 79
And more:
Page 55/Page 80
And more:
Page 55/Page 80
Daniel Drucker discusses the environmental factors causing obesity:
Page 55/Page 80
Dr Shauna Levy, an obesity specialist at Tulane University School of Medicine, responds to my concerns about the environmental causes of obesity:
Page 58/Page 82
John Wilding discusses the drugs:
CHAPTER FOUR:
LIVING IN AN INFLAMED STATE
Page 60/Page 85
Max Permberton, a leading British doctor, discusses the effects of obesity:
Page 61/Page 86
Graham MacGregor discusses the effects of obesity:
Page 62/Page 87
Max Pemberton discusses diabetes:
Page 63/Page 88
Max Pemberton discusses the effects of obesity on hips and knees:
Page 63/Page 89
Max Pemberton discusses the effects of obesity on heart health:
Page 64/Page 89
Graham MacGregor discusses strokes:
Page 64/Page 90
Max Pemberton discusses the relationship between obesity and cancer:
Page 65/Page 90
Giles Yeo discusses the relationship between obesity and inflammation:
CHAPTER FIVE:
AN OLD STORY REPEATING ITSELF?
Page 72/Page 98
Robert Kushner discusses tolerance:
Page 73/Page 99
Dr Shauna Levy discusses the older weight loss drugs:
Page 78/Page 104
Daniel Drucker discusses the safety of the new weight loss drugs:
Page 79/Page 105
Max Pemberton discusses potential concerns:
Page 80/Page 107
Jean Luc-Faillie, professor of medical pharmacology at the University Hospital of Montpellier and also the head of the National Pharmacovigilance Survey into these drugs for the French Medicine Agency, discusses his concerns about the potential effect on thyroid cancer:
Page 81/Page 107
And further:
Page 82/Page 108
Michelle Stesiak, a woman in her fifties in Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, describes how Ozempic gave her pancreatitis:
Page 82/Page 109
She describes more about her experience:
Page 82/Page 109
And more:
Page 83/Page 109
And more:
Page 84/Page 111
Heath Schmidt, the head of the Lab of Neuropsychopharmacology at Penn State University, discusses muscle mass loss:
Page 87/Page 113
Zami Jalil, a British musician with diabetes, describes his experience of not being able to get Ozempic:
Page 87/Page 114
And further:
Page 87/Page 114
And further:
Page 87/Page 114
And more:
Page 88/Page 115
Jeff Parker discusses getting compounded versions of the drug from China:
Page 89/Page 115
Robert Kushner discusses the risks of compounded or off-brand versions of the drugs:
Page 89/Page 115
Shauna Levy discusses the risks of this too:
Page 90/Page 116
Gregg Stanwood, a developmental neuropharmacologist and neuroscientist at the College of Medicine at Florida State University, discusses a potential risk:
Page 90/Page 116
And more:
Page 92/Page 118
Shauna Levy discusses long term risks:
CHAPTER SIX:
WHY DON’T YOU DIET AND EXERCISE INSTEAD?
Page 99/Page 125
Traci Mann, Professor of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, discusses dieting:
Page 99/Page 125
And more:
Page 100/Page
126 Michael Lowe discusses set point theory:
Page 101/Page 128
Traci Mann explains more:
Page 102/Page 128
Michael Lowe explains more:
Page 103/Page 129
And more:
Page 103/Page 129
Jerold Mande explains the same phenomenon:
Page 103/Page 130
Giles Yeo explains further reasons why diet often fails:
Page 104/Page 130
Michael Lowe describes “obesogenic” environments:
Page 104/Page 130
And more:
Page 105/Page 131
Traci Mann discusses diets further:
Page 105/Page 131
And more:
Page 105/Page 131
And more:
Page 105/Page 132
And more:
Page 106/Page 133
Thorolfur Thorlindsson, who pioneered the Youth in Iceland program, discusses his childhood:
Page 107/Page 133
And more:
Page 107/Page 134
And more:
Page 108/Page 134
Inga Dora Sigfusdottir, who also worked on the Youth in Iceland program, explains:
Page 109/Page 135
Gudberg Jonsson, who runs one of the Youth in Iceland programs, shows me around:
Page 109/Page 135
And more:
Page 109/Page 135
And more:
Page 110/Page 137
Tim Spector discusses the benefits and limitations of exercise:
CHAPTER SEVEN:
THE BRAIN BREAKTHROUGH
Page 115/Page 142
Robert Kushner discusses the effects of the new weight loss drugs on the brain:
Page 115/Page 142
Clemence Blouet discusses this too:
Page 116/Page 143
And more:
Page 116/Page 143
And more:
Page 117/Page 143
Paul Kenny discusses the reward centres of the brain:
Page 117/Page 144
Diana Williams, Professor of Neuroscience at Florida State University, discusses GLP1 receptors in the brain:
Page 118/Page 145
Heath Schmidt, neuropharmacologist and director of the Laboratory of Neuropsychopharmacology at Pennsylvania University, discusses the effects of these drugs on the brain:
Page 118/Page 145
And more:
Page 118/Page 145
And more:
Page 118/Page 145
And more:
Page 119/Page 146
Elisabet Jerlhag, Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Gotherberg, explains the effects of GLP1 agonist drugs on the alcohol consumption of rats:
Page 119/Page 146
And more:
Page 120/Page 147
And more:
Page 120/Page 148
And more:
Page 121/Page 148
And more:
Page 121/Page 148
And more:
Page 121/Page 148
Heath Schmidt discusses this:
Page 121/Page 149
Patricia Grigson, the Chair of the Department of Neural and Behavioural Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, discusses the effect of these drugs on heroin and fentanyl use in rats:
Page 122/Page 149
Gregg Stanwood discusses their effect on cocaine use in mice:
Page 122/Page 149
Christian Hendershot, an associate professor of clinical psychology at University of North Carolina, discusses these topics:
Page 123/Page 150
And more:
Page 123/Page 151
Max Pemberton discusses their potential effect on the use of alcohol in people:
Page 124/Page 151
Elisabet Jerlhag discusses further:
Page 124/Page 151
Patricia Grigson discusses whether these drugs might work to reduce addiction in humans:
Page 124/Page 151
Gregg Stanwood discusses more:
Page 125/Page 153
Wayne Hall, an emeritus professor of public health policy at the University of Queensland in Australia, discusses the effects if super-charging dopamine in the brain:
Page 126/Page 153
Gregg Stanwood discusses potential concerns:
Page 126/Page 154
Patricia Grigson shares her concerns:
Page 126/Page 154
And more:
Page 126/Page 154
And more:
Page 127/Page 155
Max Pemberton shares his worries:
Page 127/Page 155
Christian Hendershot shares his concerns:
Page 130/Page 157
Elisbeth Jerlhag responds to some of these concerns:
Page 130/Page 158
Heath Schmidt discusses further:
Page 130/Page 158
Elisabet Jerlhag responds to my questions about potential reward system risks:
Page 130/Page 158
Elisabet Jerlhag discusses selectivity in the brain:
Page 131/Page 159
Aurelio Galli, the Director for Gatsrointestinal Biology Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, discusses one theory about how these drugs affect the brain:
Page 131/Page 159
And more:
Page 132/Page 160
Paul Kenny discusses a different way of thinking about it:
Page 132/Page 159
Clemence Blouet discusses another way of thinking about it still:
Page 133/Page 161
And more:
Page 133/Page 161
Gregg Stanwood discusses one possible concern:
CHAPTER EIGHT:
WHAT JOB WAS OVEREATING DOING FOR YOU?
Page 137/Page 165 Jerold Mande discusses the loss of pleasure many people experience on these drugs:
Page 137/Page 165 And more:
Page 146/Page 175 Ian Paul, University Professor and Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs at the Department of Pediatrics at Penn State University, discusses an experiment into responsive parenting:
Page 149/Page 177 Vincent Felitti, Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of California, discusses his ground-breaking research into childhood trauma:
Page 149/Page 177 And more:
Page 149/Page 177 And more:
Page 149/Page 178 And more:
Page 151/Page 179 Robin Moore is a worker in the not-for-profit sector in Canada who developed an addiction to alcohol after bariatric surgery. She discusses her experience:
Page 151/Page 180 And more:
Page 151/Page 180 And more:
Page 152/Page 180 And more:
Page 151/Page 180 And more:
Page 152/Page 180 And more:
Page 152/Page 180 And more:
Page 152/Page 180 And more:
Page 152/Page 180 And more:
Page 152/Page 181 Carel Le Roux discusses the increase in the suicide rate after bariatric surgery:
Page 153/Page 181 He discusses why:
Page 153/Page 181 The nutritionist and eating disorders expert Jessica Setnick discusses why some people feel psychologically worse after surgery:
Page 153/Page 181 And more:
Page 153/Page 182 Carel Le Roux discusses more:
CHAPTER NINE:
I DON’T THINK YOU’RE IN YOUR BODY
Page 159/Page 188
Michelle Landsberg took Ozempic for diabetes, lost lots of weight, and then saw it come back. She discusses her experience:
Page 160/Page 189
Shauna Levy discusses whether these drugs create tolerance:
Page 161/Page 189
Gregg Stanwood discusses the same topic:
Page 161/Page 190
And so does Robert Kushner:
Page 161/Page 190
And so does Jerold Mande:
Page 162/Page 191
And so does Carel Le Roux:
Page 163/Page 192
Robert Kushner discusses whether these drugs should be combined with wider lifestyle changes:
Page 166/Page 195
V, formerly known as Eve Ensler, discusses learning to really be in your own body:
Page 166/Page 195
She discusses how trauma can disconnect us from our bodies:
Page 167/Page 196
She discusses how she reconnected with her body:
Page 167/Page 196
She discusses the role of dance is reconnecting us with our bodies:
Page 168/Page 197
Viren Swami, a Professor of Social Psychology at Anglia Ruskin University, discusses body image and how to heal it:
Page 168/Page 198
And more:
Page 169/Page 198
And more:
Page 170/Page Page 199
And more:
Page 170/Page 199
And more:
Page 170/Page 200
And more:
CHAPTER TEN:
SELF-ACCEPTANCE vs. SELF-STARVATION?
Page 174/Page 204 Elise Loehnen, an American writer, describes how these drugs can harm women:
Page 175/Page 205
And more:
Page 175/Page 205
And more:
Page 175/Page 205
And more:
Page 175/Page 206
And more:
Page 176/Page 206
And more:
Page 176/Page 207
And more:
Page 179/Page 209
Kimberly Dennis, a medical doctor and expert on eating disorders, explains her concerns about these new drugs:
Page 179/Page 210
And more:
Page 180/Page 210
And more:
Page 180/Page 210
And more:
CHAPTER ELEVEN:
THE FORBIDDEN BODY
Page 187/Page 218
Shelley Bovey, a leading advocate of body positivity in Britain, describes her experiences:
Page 187/Page 210
And more:
Page 188/Page 219
And more:
Page 188/Page 219
And more:
Page 188/Page 219
And more:
Page 188/Page 219
And more:
Page 189/Page 219
And more:
Page 189/Page 220
And more:
Page 189/Page 220
And more:
Page 189/Page 220
And more:
Page 190/Page 220
And more:
Page 190/Page 221
She describes medical stigma:
Page 190/Page 221
She describes the devastating effects of stigma on how she felt about herself:
Page 190/Page 221
She explains more:
Page 192/Page 223
And more:
Page 193/Page 224
And more:
Page 196/Page 227
And more:
Page 198/Page 229
Walter Willett is professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School. He explains the medical risks of obesity:
Page 198/Page 229
Igor Sapozhnikov is a doctor in Panorama City, a working class neighbourhood in Los Angeles. He discusses his patients:
Page 200/Page 231
Walter Willett explains more:
Page 202/Page 233
And more:
Page 203/Page 235
And more:
Page 204/Page 236
Shelley explains her conclusions:
Page 205/Page 237
And more:
Page 206/Page 237
And more:
Page 207/Page 239
And more:
Page 207/Page 239
And more:
CHAPTER TWELVE:
THE LAND THAT DOESN’T NEED OZEMPIC
Page 215/Page 247
Masaru Watanabe is a leading Japanese chef. He explains Japanese cuisine:
Page 215/Page 247
And more:
Page 215/Page 247
And more:
Page 216/Page 248
And more:
Page 216/Page 248
And more:
Page 216/Page 248
And more:
Page 216/Page 248
And more:
Page 217/Page 249
And more:
Page 217/Page 249
And more:
Page 217/Page 249
And more:
Page 217/Page 249
One of his chefs explained further:
Page 218/Page 249
Masaru explains more:
Page 218/Page 250
And more:
Page 219/Page 251
And more:
Page 219/Page 251
And more:
Page 222/Page 254
Harumi Tatebe is a school nutritionist in Japan. She explains her work:
Page 222/Page 255
And more:
Page 223/Page 256
And more:
Page 223/Page 256
The Japanese school principal, Mr. Tanaka, discusses school meals:
Page 223/Page 256
Harumi continues:
Page 224/Page 257
And more:
Page 224/Page 257
And more:
Page 228/Page 261
Junya Nagasawa is a Japanese boss who explains Japan’s “metabo law” and how it plays out at his workplace:
Page 229/Page 262
And more:
Page 229/Page 262
One of his employees, Yusuke Nagira, discusses the program:
Page 230/Page 263
And more:
Page 231/Page 264
Yukio Morimoto, an 81-year old football player, discusses sports in old age:
Page 233/Page 265
Matsu Fukuchi, a 102-year old woman who lives in Ogimi, the oldest village in the world, discusses her life:
Page 234/Page 267
Osamu Iimura, a chef in Tokyo, discusses preparing fugu, a poisonous fish:
Page 236/Page 269
Masaru Watanabe discusses if Westerners can become like the Japanese:
Page 237/Page 270
Sarah Kempainen, a doctor who prescribes healthy food for her patients, discusses this work:
CONCLUSION:
THE CHOICES NOW
Page 242/Page 275
Deborah Tyler is a nurse who gave her young daughter Ozempic. She discusses:
Page 243/Page 276
And more:
Page 243/Page 276
And more:
Page 243/Page 276
And more:
Page 244/Page 277
And more:
Page 244/Page 277
And more:
Page 245/Page 278
Giles Yeo on childhood obesity:
NOTES:
Notes Page 6 (UK)
Carel Le Roux is a Professor of Experimental Pathology at University College Dublin, He discusses how the new weight loss drugs work and how they were developed:
Notes Page 6 (UK)
He discusses further:
Notes Page 7 (UK)
And more:
Notes Page 7 (UK)
And more:
