Turning Down Food Noise: The Role of Weight-Loss Medications in Managing Food Obsession

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For some individuals, persistent thoughts about food—commonly referred to as “food noise”—can dominate daily life, making it difficult to maintain a healthy relationship with eating. Food noise refers to incessant internal chatter about food, which can drive compulsive eating habits. Recently, some people using popular weight-loss medications like semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic or Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro or Zepbound) have reported that these drugs help quiet such food-related thoughts.

Savannah Mendoza, a 27-year-old from California, describes her experience with food noise as an obsessive and consuming focus on eating. Before starting tirzepatide, she often indulged in fast food or ice cream in secret, battling a constant preoccupation with food. After beginning the medication, she noticed a newfound sense of peace and attributed it partly to a side effect of feeling less hungry.

Similarly, Summer Kessel, a registered dietitian, shared that the medication transformed her relationship with food. Once plagued by an insatiable appetite, Kessel now eats balanced meals and no longer fixates on food throughout the day. For both Mendoza and Kessel, the drugs seemed to reduce the mental “chatter” associated with food noise.

The Science of Food Noise

Dr. Michael Lowe, a professor at Drexel University, explains food noise as a form of “hedonic hunger,” where the desire for food stems from pleasure rather than physical need. While normal hunger signals the body’s need for calories, hedonic hunger drives overeating, often triggered by highly palatable foods.

Experts believe that food noise, while not universally studied, is influenced by both psychological and environmental factors. Dr. Najaf Asrar, an endocrinologist, attributes part of the issue to modern food environments, where fast-food outlets and processed snacks are omnipresent, creating constant temptation.

Medications like GLP-1 receptor agonists, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide, work by mimicking hormones that signal satiety and slow digestion. This helps regulate appetite and reduce the obsessive thoughts tied to food noise. However, Dr. Tom Hildebrandt, an expert in eating and weight disorders at Mount Sinai, warns that these medications may sometimes create a new fear of food, as patients associate certain meals with physical discomfort.

Beyond Medication

While GLP-1 medications have shown promise in reducing food noise, they are not the only solution. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other pharmacological treatments, such as antidepressants or Vyvanse (approved for binge-eating disorder), have also proven effective. Hildebrandt emphasizes that addressing food noise often requires a multifaceted approach, including therapy to combat societal food cues and self-regulation strategies.

Dr. Asrar advises that weight-loss medications do not have to be lifelong and that patients can work toward rewiring their relationship with food. Cognitive interventions and lifestyle changes can help sustain the benefits achieved with GLP-1 drugs.

A Lifeline for Many

Despite the challenges, for individuals like Mendoza and Kessel, these medications have been life-changing. For Kessel, the ability to quiet food noise and focus on nutrition, even without significant weight loss, has been a major relief. Similarly, Jackson LeMay, another patient, noted that while the medication has improved his diet, it also transformed his mindset about eating—from living to eat to eating to live.

Dr. Lowe believes these medications target the underlying physiological and hormonal drivers of excessive appetite, offering patients a way to regain control. While not a universal fix, GLP-1s have helped many people take the first step toward healing their relationship with food.

Bird Poop Research May Hold the Key to Preventing the Next Flu Pandemic

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Each spring, the shores of Delaware Bay transform into a bustling hub of ecological activity. Migrating shorebirds, stopping to feast on horseshoe crab eggs, double their weight before continuing their journey between South America and the Arctic. But this phenomenon isn’t just a spectacle of nature; it’s a vital research ground for scientists aiming to prevent the next flu pandemic.

For nearly 40 years, researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital have been collecting bird droppings, or guano, from this area to study flu viruses. The project, originally spearheaded by virologist Dr. Robert Webster, revealed that bird intestines—not their respiratory tracts—serve as a breeding ground for influenza viruses. These viruses are excreted in bird poop, allowing scientists to monitor flu strains as they migrate along the Atlantic flyway.

This long-term surveillance has provided critical data, helping researchers detect new flu strains and assess their potential risks. One such strain, H5N1, has gained attention recently as it spreads among birds, mammals, and even dairy cattle in the U.S. The virus, which has caused severe outbreaks in poultry, poses a growing risk of mutating to infect humans more easily.

Dr. Richard Webby, who now leads the project, likens predicting pandemics to forecasting tornadoes: understanding the normal patterns is essential for spotting dangerous changes. Recent efforts by the team include using a mobile lab to accelerate sample analysis. Despite their extensive surveillance, they didn’t detect H5N1 in Delaware Bay this year, but their work later uncovered the virus in ducks in Tennessee, specifically a strain linked to severe human cases.

A new study led by Dr. Louise Moncla of the University of Pennsylvania underscores the importance of this research. The study found that wild birds have become a reservoir for H5N1 in North America, introducing the virus repeatedly into farmed and backyard bird populations. Unlike the 2014 outbreak, which was contained through aggressive culling, the current outbreak persists because wild birds continue to spread the virus.

As H5N1 evolves, the risk of it adapting to human transmission looms. Monitoring bird populations and their flu strains offers a crucial early warning system. Dr. Pamela McKenzie, a member of the St. Jude team, highlighted the role of shorebirds in virus dissemination: “They stop in Delaware Bay to refuel, move viruses around, and carry them off again.”

The team’s work, while it doesn’t guarantee prevention, equips the world with the tools to respond swiftly if H5N1—or another flu strain—emerges as a pandemic threat.

BioNTech Settles Royalties Dispute with NIH and University of Pennsylvania

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BioNTech has reached two separate settlement agreements to resolve royalty payment disputes over its COVID-19 vaccine. The German biotech company, in collaboration with Pfizer, said it will pay $791.5 million to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to address a default notice. Additionally, BioNTech will pay $467 million to the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) to settle a lawsuit alleging underpayment of royalties.

The agreements stem from the NIH’s and Penn’s claims to royalties linked to foundational patents used in the mRNA technology behind the COVID-19 vaccine. Pfizer, BioNTech’s partner in the vaccine’s development, has agreed to reimburse BioNTech for part of the settlement costs—up to $170 million for Penn’s royalties and $364.5 million for NIH royalties from 2020-2023 vaccine sales.

The settlements also involve amendments to BioNTech’s licensing agreements with both NIH and Penn, with BioNTech agreeing to pay a low single-digit percentage of its vaccine sales. The agreements also include provisions for future licensing to use NIH and Penn’s patents in combination products.

Neither party admitted liability in the settlements. NIH and Penn did not respond to requests for comment.