From “Ozempic face” to the latest celebrity confession, there’s no shortage of news about GLP-1s, which has become a catchall term for injectable diabetes and weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound.

Journalists (including yours truly) have covered the medications’ potential to curb other addictions, their peril in relationships, their controversial use among adolescents, their impact on the fashion and food industries, their infiltration in sports and more.  

But aside from a Guardian story and a more recent one in Elle, there’s not a lot of discussion in the mainstream media about GLP-1s’ influence on people who have, are in recovery from or are susceptible to eating disorders. 

As someone who’s touched on the complicated issue in an American Psychological Association article (and who briefly dealt with an eating disorder herself), I think there’s room for other journalists to cover this intersection. After all, while the stereotype of someone with such a disorder is still a thin white girl, in reality, the overlap between people with obesity and people with eating disorders is significant. 

For some of them, drugs like Wegovy might be helpful: By quieting “food noise” and reducing appetite, they could support someone with binge eating disorder, for example, override the instinct to compulsively overeat, and develop healthier behaviors along the way. 

For others with and without obesity, the meds could fuel disordered eating. As clinical psychologist Sera Lavelle, Ph.D., told me for the APA story, “it’s people with anorexia, people with bulimia who just want to cut off their appetite. And with medical “spas” and direct-to-consumer services offering GLP-1s in just a few clicks, it’s easy for them to get in the wrong hands.

To advance this conversation, I moderated a panel in New York for local AHCJ members last month. The event featured Lavelle, who specializes in hypnosis and integrative therapies; clinical psychologist Erin Parks, Ph.D., cofounder of the eating disorder platform Equip; and Rocio Salas-Whalen, M.D., a physician who specializes in obesity medicine and endocrinology. 

Here are some of the key takeaways for writers. 

Seek a range of expert sources 

Even if you’re not explicitly writing about eating disorders, coverage of GLP-1s should include a variety of expert voices to reflect the diversity of experiences and opinions across (and even within) fields. 

During the panel, a divide between the psychologists and the doctor became clear. The mental health professionals worried about GLP-1s’ abuse among people vulnerable to eating disorders, and cautioned that their widespread use will continue to glamorize thinness while ignoring the reality that healthy bodies come in a variety of shapes and sizes. 

“I don’t think the consequences are going to be as dire as the opioid epidemic, but I do feel like we’re seeing some parallels in medicine,” Parks said.

Salas-Whalen, by contrast, was enthusiastic about GLP-1s, and noted that people with anorexia are a minority of the population. And while the psychologists tended to see the drugs as sometimes appropriate for short-term use to help patients establish healthier habits, the doctor emphasized their lifelong intention.

“Obesity is a chronic disease — it’s not cured. It’s like type 2 diabetes: We control it, but we don’t cure it,” said Salas-Whalen, author of “Weightless: A doctor’s guide to GLP-1 medications, sustainable weight loss and the health you deserve.” “These drugs were developed for chronic, long-term use.” 

Neither perspective should have been entirely surprising given the professionals’ patient populations — those struggling with eating disorders or emotional eating versus those seeking weight loss — but the live dialogue was a good reminder that, in this case at least, one expert’s voice is one expert’s voice. 

Use your platform to promote better regulation 

Lavelle and Parks urged journalists to cover how people with or at risk for eating disorders are accessing GLP-1s through digital platforms that make it easy to lie about your weight. 

When asked if doing so might unintentionally “teach” someone vulnerable how to go deeper into their disorder, Parks said she wasn’t too concerned — so long as reporters avoid triggering details like how much a person weighed at their thinnest. “If people want to find the information, they’re going to find it,” she said. 

The important thing is to raise awareness of GLP-1s’ misuse, and hold the companies and system accountable — without shaming or blaming the people taking the meds themselves. 

Be aware of divergent perspectives around ‘food noise’ 

Medications like Ozempic have gotten a lot of attention for reducing or eliminating “food noise,” or constant internal chatter about food. While that side effect is often framed as a positive, eating disorder specialists offer more nuance. 

“If you have food noise and you’re always obsessing, maybe you need to eat; you’re hungry,” Charlotte Markey, Ph.D., of Rutgers University, told me for the APA story. “Food noise is very real for a lot of people, but is a pharmacological solution the best solution for that?”“

Likewise, Lavelle said she was frustrated by a comment from Oprah, who has publicly talked about taking Ozempic. “She said, ‘For the first time in my life, I know how thin people must think — they just don’t even think about food,’” Lavelle, cofounder of the Bea Better Eating app, recalled. 

But her patients with anorexia are often driven to tears over their obsessive food-related thoughts. “It’s actually normal to think about food,” she added. “We need to learn to tolerate thinking about food.” 

Consider psychological implications of weight loss 

Many people taking GLP-1s find their mental health improves along with their physical health. But journalists should also consider highlighting the psychological challenges significant weight loss can surface. 

“All of a sudden, you lose the weight and then you’re getting more attention, people are looking at your body more. It is really scary for people,” Lavelle said. “I’ve had people who lose weight and put it right back on because they’re like, ‘I feel so unsafe. I feel small. I feel vulnerable.’ It’s so related to trauma.” 

Fear of weight regain is another psychological  issue Salas-Whalen sees. “For the majority, GLP-1s have a good, positive impact,” she said. “But we still don’t have the tools to guide a patient once they reach their weight.” 

Emphasize health, not weight 

Panelists agreed that reporters should avoid superficial terms like “the skinny jab” and focus on the meds’ medical indications and effects. After all, someone who’s over 300 pounds could experience improved health markers after losing 50 pounds, but still be perceived as overweight or obese. 

That said, if someone who qualifies for the drug is motivated by appearance, reporters and health care professionals alike shouldn’t judge. “It’s hard being fat in our society. There’s a lot of reasons to want to be a different size — health reasons, employment reasons, the ease with which you can live here,” Parks said. Like most clinicians, she added, “I believe in bodily autonomy.”