matt_MKE said:

My reason for being on this is cardiovascular rather than cosmetic, which puts me in a small minority in most of these threads.

CRP reduction on cardiovascular risk — this is the lab result that excites me most:

Baseline hsCRP: 5.0 mg/L (high cardiovascular risk)
Month 6 hsCRP: 1.5 mg/L (moderate risk)
Month 12 hsCRP: 0.6 mg/L (low risk)

This level of inflammatory marker reduction is comparable to what you'd see with statin therapy. Combined with the weight loss, my 10-year ASCVD risk score dropped from 12% to 4%. My cardiologist is genuinely impressed.

julia.endo said:

CRP reduction on cardiovascular risk — this is the lab result that excites me most: Baseline hsCRP: 5.0 mg/L (high cardiovascular risk) Month 6 hsCRP:…

julia.endo said:

...cardiovascular risk is just another fad...

I understand the skepticism — we've all seen "miracle" weight loss solutions come and go. But consider what makes GLP-1 agonists different:

• Phase 3 RCTs with thousands of participants (not 20-person pilot studies)
• Published in NEJM, JAMA, Lancet (not press releases)
• Replicated across multiple independent research groups
• Proven cardiovascular and renal benefits beyond weight loss
• Biological mechanism fully characterized at the receptor level

This isn't a fad — it's a new drug class supported by the highest level of clinical evidence. The comparison to past fads is understandable but inappropriate.

matt_MKE said:

My reason for being on this is cardiovascular rather than cosmetic, which puts me in a small minority in most of these threads.

Same pattern here, and in the same order. Posting only so the count is not one.

Clinical perspective, offered as context rather than as advice.

matt_MKE said:

...we're creating a generation dependent on cardiovascular risk...

I understand the concern, but consider this analogy: are we "creating a generation dependent on" blood pressure medication? Cholesterol medication? Thyroid medication?

Obesity is a chronic disease with biological drivers. Treating it with medication is no different from treating any other chronic condition. The "dependency" framing implies weakness or moral failure — neither of which is accurate.

If ongoing medication is what keeps someone healthy, that's successful treatment, not dependency.