Health
Diabetes and weight-loss drug ‘changed my life,’ says senator: ‘I feel a decade younger’
A U.S. senator said a GLP-1 drug changed his life — and now he’s calling for widespread access to anti-obesity medications.
In a New York Times op-ed on April 8, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., wrote about his experience with Mounjaro (tirzepatide).
The injectable prescription medicine is primarily used to treat type 2 diabetes.
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Fetterman was prescribed the medication in July 2024.
“As a stroke survivor, I was interested in studies showing [Mounjaro] could significantly reduce the risk of major cardiac events,” the senator wrote.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., walks to the chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on March 14, 2025. In an op-ed on April 8, the Pennsylvania senator wrote about his experience with Mounjaro (tirzepatide). (Reuters)
“Even though I started taking it for my heart health, I’ve been struck by how much better it has made me feel across the board. It’s made a significant impact on my overall health,” he continued.
“Aches, pains and stiffness have vanished. Physically, I feel a decade younger, as well as clearer-headed and more optimistic than I’d been in years. As far as side effects, I’ve also lost around 20 pounds.”
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Beyond lowering blood sugar, GLP-1 medications have also been linked to a range of other benefits, including improved heart health, neurological function and metabolic health, as Fox News Digital has reported.
Eli Lilly, maker of Mounjaro, also offers another version of the drug called Zepbound, which is the same medication approved for weight loss, chronic weight management and sleep apnea.
Other GLP-1 medications include Ozempic, Wegovy, Victoza, Saxenda, all made by Novo Nordisk.
Sen. Fetterman is pictured at the White House on Jan. 29, 2025. “As a stroke survivor, I was interested in studies showing [Mounjaro] could significantly reduce the risk of major cardiac events,” the senator wrote in an April op-ed. (Reuters)
Fetterman noted that GLP-1 drugs have been found to have beneficial effects on cholesterol, heart rate and heart inflammation.
“Some recent studies suggest they might even help curb alcohol addiction and support cognitive function, potentially slowing or preventing conditions like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s,” he wrote in the Times op-ed.
“Physically, I feel a decade younger, as well as clearer-headed and more optimistic than I’d been in years.”
In the op-ed, Fetterman called for expanded access to these medications, which can cost up to $1,000 out of pocket if not covered by insurance.
“Currently, Medicare covers these drugs only under specific circumstances, such as for diabetes or heightened heart risk,” he wrote. “And Medicaid coverage is even more limited.”
Fetterman added that he was not compensated for sharing his experience.
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“I’m just a guy who has benefited from these medications and wants to make sure that anyone else who could benefit from them can have access to them, too,” he wrote.
While Fetterman shares HHS Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s views of prioritizing nutrition and healthy living, he said he believes the medications are necessary for some.
Eli Lilly, maker of Mounjaro, also offers another version of the drug called Zepbound, which is the same medication approved for weight loss, chronic weight management and sleep apnea. (iStock)
“I fully agree that diet and lifestyle matter — a lot. But diet alone isn’t enough,” he wrote.
“For the millions of Americans struggling with serious health issues, medication can be a crucial first step to regaining enough control of their health to begin making meaningful lifestyle changes.”
Doctors discuss benefits and access
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Health and Fox News’ senior medical analyst, noted that semaglutides, including Ozempic and Wegovy, are “very important drugs” for type 2 diabetes, with increasing use for obesity.
“Though these drugs appear to have beneficial uses for the heart and lipid profile — and also the brain and decreasing dementia risk — studies are ongoing and more data is still needed,” he told Fox News Digital.
The first approach to obesity is lifestyle changes, including exercise, improved diet and optimal sleep, Siegel said.
“Having said that, these weight-loss drugs (including Zepbound) are also good tools when lifestyle is not enough,” he noted.
Fetterman was prescribed Mounjaro for potential heart health benefits. (Getty Images)
“They help prevent down-the-line diseases such as heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and sleep apnea, which tend to come from obesity.”
He added, “Overall, we are saving the healthcare system money, so I would like to see Medicare and Medicaid approve them for diabetes and weight loss.”
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Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurologist and longevity expert, said he’s been prescribing GLP-1s to his patients since 2019.
“Mounjaro and its cousins aren’t just weight-loss tools — they’re metabolic reset buttons,” he told Fox News Digital.
Beyond lowering blood sugar, GLP-1 medications have also been linked to a range of other benefits, including improved heart health, neurological function and metabolic health. (iStock)
“People with metabolic syndrome don’t need lectures on kale and the importance of exercise. They need help.”
Osborn agreed that lifestyle is essential, but is “rarely sufficient.”
“GLP-1s give patients momentum by getting the ball rolling,” he said. “And when that happens, health habits are formed. Diet improves. Movement improves. People start to feel the benefits of healthy living.”
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Osborn noted that these medications aren’t cosmetic, but therapeutic.
“I’ve seen what they can do firsthand: reductions in body fat, inflammation, glucose, triglycerides and insulin resistance — and with those, significant reductions in the incidence of stroke and heart attack.”
“I believe this is a signal aimed squarely at Big Pharma.”
President Donald Trump’s administration recently announced that Medicare and Medicaid would not cover the medications, as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said late Friday.
Osborn said the move to block coverage likely doesn’t have to do with efficacy.
“Trump knows these medications work,” Osborn said. “I believe this is a signal aimed squarely at Big Pharma: ‘Lower the price, or Medicare, the biggest buyer on the block, is out.’”
“This isn’t a dismissal — it’s leverage,” Osborn said, stating his opinion on the matter. “President Trump will likely negotiate until the ‘price is right,’ disempowering Big Pharma while concomitantly bettering the health of Americans.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Fetterman’s office for comment.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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