June 12, 2026
14. Who profits from crash-dieting kids – and at what cost? On the weight-loss industry, GLP-1s, and how Novo Nordisk turned weight stigma into marketing, with psychologist Louise Adams
<p>An episode about putting larger-bodied kids on restrictive diets and weight loss drugs (GLP-1), eating disorder risk, informed consent, conflicts of interest, and the framing of obesity as a chronic disease. </p><p>And on how, over the past decade, Novo Nordisk has built the obesity market from scratch and hijacked the concept of weight stigma, turning it into a clever marketing technique.</p><p>Louise Adams is a clinical psychologist, author and podcaster from Sydney, Australia. She works within the non-diet and Health at Every Size field, and has also co-authored the recently published paper "GLP-1 Medication for Weight Loss: A Triumph of Marketing Over Patient Care". </p><p><strong>In this episode:</strong></p><ul><li>A critical look at the obesity field, the failings of the weight loss industry and blind spots in weight loss research</li><li>The link between Australia and Norway: how the controversial Fast Track to Health trial connects to the Norwegian eMAMMO trial</li><li>The ethical dilemmas surrounding putting larger-bodied children on restrictive diets and GLP-1s</li><li>Dieting and restriction as a risk factor for eating disorders, especially in adolescence</li><li>The metabolic consequences of dieting, and the risk of malnutrition</li><li>A clinical psychologist's perspective on GLP-1 drugs</li><li>Why and how informed consent matters</li><li>Advice for worried parents of larger-bodied kids</li><li>Why weight-neutral health care is not the same as doing nothing</li><li>The troubling medicalization of larger-bodied people</li><li>Novo Nordisk's decade-old strategy to build the obesity market from scratch</li><li>How Novo Nordisk hijacked the fight against weight stigma and turned it into a clever marketing technique</li></ul><p><strong>Some references and relevant links:</strong></p><p>Chastain, R., Meadows, A., & Adams, L. (2026). GLP-1 medications for weight-loss: a triumph of marketing over patient care. Fat Studies, 1–18. doi.org/10.1080/21604851.2026.2646492</p><p>Jebeile, H., et al. (2019). Treatment of obesity, with a dietary component, and eating disorder risk in children and adolescents: A systematic review with meta-analysis. Obesity Reviews, 20(9), 1287–1298.</p><p>Gow ML, Jebeile H, House ET, et al. Efficacy, Safety and Acceptability of a Very-Low-Energy Diet in Adolescents with Obesity: A Fast Track to Health Sub-Study. Nutrients. 2024;16(18):3125. Published 2024 Sep 16. doi:10.3390/nu16183125</p><p>Lister NB, Baur LA, House ET, et al. Intermittent Energy Restriction for Adolescents With Obesity: The Fast Track to Health Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2024;178(10):1006-1016. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2869</p><p>Jebeile H, Baur LA, Kwok C, et al. Symptoms of Depression, Eating Disorders, and Binge Eating in Adolescents With Obesity: The Fast Track to Health Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Pediatr. 2024;178(10):996-1005. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2851</p><p>House ET, Ghouri H, Baur LA, et al. The recruitment of adolescents with obesity to a randomised controlled trial: A Fast Track to Health sub-study. Obes Res Clin Pract. 2025;19(3):214-222. doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2025.04.012</p><p>Jebeile H, House ET, Baur LA, et al. Dieting Practices of Adolescents Seeking Obesity Treatment. Nutrients. 2025;17(19):3100. Published 2025 Sep 29. doi:10.3390/nu17193100</p><p>Kwok C, Lister NB, House ET, et al. Additional Support Needs of Adolescents with Obesity During an Obesity Treatment Trial: Fast Track to Health. Child Obes. 2025;21(7):608-617. doi:10.1089/chi.2025.0023</p><p><strong>Links:</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.fhi.no/contentassets/770bd0ba66a54693bedd06066db7490f/etiske-aspekter-ved-fedmebehandling-av-barn-og-unge.pdf" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Etiske aspekter ved fedmebehandling avbarn og unge / Ethical aspects of obesity treatment in children and adolescents</a> (Folkehelseinstituttet, 2016)</li><li><a href="https://www.fhi.no/publ/2016/effekt-av-tiltak-for-barn-og-unge-med-overvekt-eller-fedme/" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">Effekt av tiltak for barn og unge med overvekt eller fedme / The effectiveness of interventions for children and adolescents with overweight or obesity </a>(Folkehelseinsitituttet, 2016)</li><li><a href="https://euclinicaltrials.eu/search-for-clinical-trials/?lang=en&EUCT=2023-506289-29-00" target="_blank" rel="ugc noopener noreferrer">eMAMMO-studien</a></li></ul><p>The episode was recorded in April 2026.</p>
