They've been called "Hollywood's worst-kept secret." Weight loss medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro, which are commonly used to treat diabetes, are part of the zeitgeist these days, as more and more celebrities are opening up about taking them to lose weight. So when looking at where they're most popular, you might imagine a place like Los Angeles or New York.
The actual capital of weight-loss drugs in the U.S. might surprise you.
Why would the small city of Bowling Green, Ky. have the highest rate of prescriptions for these drugs? You're reading the Consider This newsletter, which unpacks one major news story each day. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to more from the Consider This podcast .
A high obesity rate and options to treat it. Kentucky has one of the highest obesity rates in the country. In Bowling Green, and the surrounding area, at least four percent of residents have gotten prescriptions for one of these weight-loss drugs in the last year.
Madison Muller is a health reporter for Bloomberg News. She went to Bowling Green to learn more about why weight-loss drugs have become so pervasive. "Diabetes rates are really high," says Muller.
"So it's actually a good thing. It seems like at least maybe people who actually really need these drugs are getting them if the rates are so high in this area." Muller explains that one employer, Med Center Health, a health system company, has been covering the drugs for employees.
"Having these these d.