I’m preparing for today’s podcast, keep an eye out for it this evening. But this afternoon I cannot move on until I can get away from this nagging thought. I’m going to lay it out here, in the hopes you’ll share your thoughts on it. So often, you all help me come to better understanding by helping me think of things a bit differently.
Here goes…
We now have validated scales designed to measure “food noise.” The question underneath all of this that I’d like to know more about: What is the normal amount of thinking about food?
Food-seeking behavior is, after all, a critical component of survival. If GLP-1s and related drugs can move someone dramatically down that spectrum, what other deeply rooted motivational signals might be moving with it?
Thirst?
Sexual drive?
Threat avoidance?
Social connection?
Rest and energy conservation?
Certainly, if we can reduce excessive energy intake in people with obesity, or reduce cravings for drugs in people struggling with addiction, GREAT.
One of my growing concerns is whether subtle changes in some of these other survival-related drives could be easy to miss, particularly when they’re happening alongside something as profoundly positive as meaningful weight loss. For someone losing significant weight for the first time in their life, the jubilation, improved health and renewed confidence can be enormous. Could that make it harder for patients, or even researchers, to notice when something else has quietly been turned down too?
These systems do not exist in isolation. In our excitement and enthusiasm over these breakthroughs, we should also endeavor to better understand where healthy, adaptive motivation ends, where pathological “noise” begins, and how changing one might affect the others.
What do you think?
