The 2026 Super Bowl ran 66 ads in total, and three of those ads were from GLP-1 brands Novo Nordisk, Ro, and Him & Hers. The majority of the ads were centered around how much weight people lost while using them, instead of the intended use for diabetic patients. GLP-1 medications, or glucagon-like peptide-1, are a type of drug that help improve blood sugar control for people with Type 2 diabetes.
The use of these drugs was regularly off-label. GLP-1 products’ main use is to help people with Type 2 diabetes, with side effects including reducing appetite, suppressing cravings, and slowing gastric emptying. This causes serious weight loss, which quickly caught the media’s attention. Ozempic was marketed as a “game changer” for the obesity issue in the United States. Since it was seen as a quick-fix for weight issues, the products’ popularity skyrocketed, being fueled by various social media trends and endorsements.
With the sudden increase in celebrity endorsements, it seemed like the hottest way to lose weight was by using these products, creating a demand from the public. Celebrities that have confirmed using weight loss drugs are Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Kelly Clarkson, Rebel Wilson, Tracy Morgan and more. These celebrities influenced how these medications were perceived by the public. They went from just a diabetes drug, to some magic product that Hollywood was using to lose weight. Hashtags like “#OzempicJourney” created a “before and after” trend that normalized the use of the drug.
In 2024, roughly 30 million U.S. adults reported taking GLP-1s to lose weight. People decided to use these drugs because they could effortlessly reduce weight in a way that no exercise or diet ever could. Those that didn’t have Type 2 diabetes began using these medications if they struggled to lose weight because of metabolic issues, obesity, or insulin resistance.
When using GLP-1 medications for weight loss only, it can have effects like vomiting, severe nausea, constipation, stomach paralysis, and hair loss. These effects occur due to the slowing of stomach emptying. Some serious risks are kidney damage, pancreatitis, and vision changes. The rapid, significant weight loss led to nutrient deficiencies, or something called “Ozempic face”, which is the sunken or aged appearance due to the loss of weight in the face. Despite this being public information, people continue to use Ozempic and Wegovy. These severe side effects are deemed “worth it” because of the number on the scale.
