this post was submitted on 22 Mar 2026
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I'd argue that almost all of these factors are not directly related to biology or psychology at all. The evidence of this is obesity rates rapidly changing to become an epidemic in recent history, despite human biology remaining the same. According to the CDC, 13% of Americans were obese in 1960, but over 40% were obese in 2025.
Yes, there are definitely non-biological factors here. But humans evolved to conserve energy. When faced with hyper-palitable, super calorie dense foods, humans have an overwhelming urge to consume, and keep consuming. And once you're past a certain point, it becomes increasingly MORE difficult to cut down on eating, all because of biological functions. Of course the initial variable that allows for this is the availability of those foods, but the fact that humans can't resist them is purely biological. That's just one of many reasons.
Others relate to psychology, which is kind of on the edge of biology.
The point is that through no fault of the victims of obesity much of the time, they are trapped in a cycle. And semaglutide is a new way to escape from that cycle. If dieting worked, obesity would not be at the rates it's at today.
One solution is to "stop making those foods available" of course. It's a systemic issue, breaking the chain at any point would help. But if you're some lower middle class average person, your BMI is crazy high, and you have a choice between "joining a political movement to pass laws against harmful foods", "spend time, energy, and stress you don't have to spare following a diet that you aren't strong enough to follow" and "taking an injection once a week", the choice is clear.
This is an extreme exaggeration and not a real factor that makes dieting a systemic problem, evidenced by the majority of people who are not obese. You claim that dieting is due to systemic failures, which I agree with, but what you are actually identifying are individual failures.
It's one example, but it's not extreme. Many first-world countries have an obesity rate above 20%, many above 30%, and some have a rate above 40%, like the US, Egypt, and others. When 30% of a country are affected by the same health issue, it's a systemic issue. And biology plays a huge role in that. Most people know how bad obesity is for them. They're not making the conscious decision to become obese. They are making millions of micro-decisions guided by their mood, hunger, food availability, and willpower to consume calorie-dense foods. Much of that is their biological urge to consume overpowering their better judgement in the moment, made possible by factors outside of their direct control like availability of unhealthy foods.
But we're getting away from the point of this whole comment chain. The point is that dieting doesn't work. Despite official recommendations by nearly all first world countries' governments, and most real doctors out there, 30% of many countries (and 40% of my country) are obese. The point of this comment chain is that that number exists because dieting isn't working for the modern world. And semaglutide is one solution that is saving lives.