Lifestyle
Massive and made of fiberglass, Muffler Men are a Route 66 classic — and they’re multiplying
The snow was flying sideways and he had no jacket, but this lumberjack did not shiver. He stood about 25 feet tall, ax in hand, wearing a red hat and rictus grin. And he was made of fiberglass.
I stood at his feet on the Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff, full of the satisfaction that comes at having accomplished something truly trivial: At last, I was face to face with the original Muffler Man.
Stories, photos and travel recommendations from America’s Mother Road
Easter Island has its stone-faced monoliths. China has its terra-cotta warriors. And we Americans have these roadside giants, also known as Paul Bunyans, Uniroyal Gals and most commonly, Muffler Men. Manufactured in Los Angeles, they first appeared on the highways of North America in the early 1960s as an advertising gimmick, often promoting car lots or car parts. Now they’re rising again, a battalion of restored and replica specimens, beloved by road-trippers, kitsch aficionados, artists, preservationists and savvy entrepreneurs.
“To me, they’re kind of instant friends,” said Amy Inouye, the designer and artist who rescued L.A.’s most iconic Muffler Man, Chicken Boy, a chicken-headed statue that stands atop her gallery in Highland Park. “They’re really tall and they just want to be accepted for who they are.”
The Northern Arizona University campus in Flagstaff includes the first oversize fiberglass Muffler Man, who has long been outfitted as a lumberjack.
These figures are especially plentiful along Route 66 this year as it turns 100 — there was a “pre-centennial frenzy” in the words of roadsideamerica.com, which coined the term “Muffler Men” and tracks them on a map. Nobody’s certain how many figures were made during the golden age of Muffler Men, but since 2020, the tally of giants has climbed above 250, including “a few dozen” rediscoveries since 2010, according to Doug Kirby, the co-founder and publisher of the site.
“Just in the last year or two, all these Muffler Men are being added,” he said. In addition, more than a dozen giants are currently in transition — that is, getting reconditioned or relocated.
1.) Cigars and Stripes BBQ in Berwyn, Ill., features a Muffler Man smoking a cigar and holding a jumbo bottle of barbecue sauce. 2.) The Gemini Giant stands along Route 66 in Wilmington, Ill.
On a recent westbound journey from Chicago on Route 66, I started seeing them almost immediately.
First, on Ogden Avenue in the Chicago suburb of Berwyn, there was the Cigars & Stripes Muffler Man. He stood on the roof of the Cigars & Stripes BBQ Lounge, brandishing a chicken wing and a fridge-size bottle of barbecue sauce while chewing on a stogie.
Next, in Wilmington, Ill., came the Gemini Giant, who stands 23 feet tall above a tiny park. Made for a Wilmington diner in 1965, he was auctioned off for $275,000 in early 2024 and placed in his current location later that year. He wears a clunky silver space helmet and holds a rocket in his hands.
I had come across a few Muffler Men before this trip, including Big Josh, who looks down upon Joshua Tree from the Station gift shop on State Route 62. But now I was paying more attention.
At first, I learned, these giants were all men, conceived around 1962 by a Lawndale entrepreneur named Bob Prewitt and made popular from the early 1960s through the mid-1970s by a company in Venice called International Fiberglass.
Made from a standard set of molds and held together by steel frames, most Muffler Men are assembled from three or four pieces. Besides those figures holding mufflers and tires, others were outfitted as cowboys, Indians, lumberjacks (often known as Paul Bunyans), astronauts, chefs, dentists, golfers, hot dog vendors, race-car drivers, pirates and service-station attendants. Then there were the jug-eared goofball characters, which some scholars of the art form call halfwits, while others prefer snerds.
As interest in this kind of advertising grew, female giants followed, including Uniroyal Gals and Rosie the Riveters. Oversized animals, including dinosaurs, bulls, roosters, hens and seals, also multiplied.
Juni Peraza, 25, works at the Meadow Gold Mack retail shop on 11th Street in Tulsa, Okla. She said she has only recently realized the possibilities that come with 11th Street being part of Route 66.
All that action faded in the 1970s. But in about 1989, the seeds of a new Muffler Man era were sown.
Kirby, Mike Wilkins and Ken Smith, who had worked together on the 1985 book “Roadside America,” were building a database for a follow-up project when they realized, “Hey, wait, this configuration of statue we’re seeing in a lot of places,” Kirby said. “We decided we’d better start keeping track.”
The first few they saw were holding mufflers. Thinking of the old nursery rhyme “Muffin Man,” and a Frank Zappa song of the same name, Kirby decided to call them Muffler Men.
When the roadsideamerica.com website launched in 1996, Muffler Men were part of it. By 2000, Roadside America had uncovered their origin story and interviewed Steve Dashew, former president of International Fiberglass. And readers had embraced the giants in a big way.
This fiberglass Rosie the Riveter figure went up on 11th Street in Tulsa in 2025.
“It was like a religious epiphany for some people. For years, they were driving past these things,” Kirby said. “As soon as they realized it was part of an uncharted network across the country … it’s like your third eye has been opened.”
Ken Bernstein, principal city planner for Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources, calls Muffler Men “monumental and distinctive representations of midcentury car culture, especially along auto-centric corridors where it was important to catch the eye of passing motorists.”
New giants, known as custom jobs, are being steadily manufactured now. There’s an entire economic community emerging around their restoration, replication, sales, transport and display, including companies like (Re)Giant and sculptor Mark Cline’s Enchanted Castle Studios. (To confuse matters, many Southern California mechanics woo customers by welding together mufflers to make human figures. Those creations, too, are often called Muffler Men.)
The American Giants Museum in Atlanta, Ill., created in 2024 by Bill Thomas of the Atlanta Betterment Fund and collector-historian Joel Baker, is devoted to the fiberglass figures. The museum, open April through October, includes four standing Muffler Men, with two more expected around Memorial Day.
Because the giants stand in the open air, visitors who show up after hours — as I did — can ogle them any time.
Atlanta, Ill., is home to the American Giants Museum, which celebrates the Muffler Men and Uniroyal Gals that were common roadside advertising features in the middle 20th century.
“I love history. I love anything to do with cars and old advertisements. I think it just takes people back,” said Lee Woods, 55, who jumped on the Muffler Men bandwagon about five years ago and owns the museum.
Woods and his wife, Diane, who have a fleet of tow trucks in Hot Springs, Ark., were collecting old porcelain gas station signs, gas pumps and old cars in 2021 when, on a drive through Illinois, they laid eyes on the Gemini Giant.
“I told my wife I would love to have one of them things to represent our tow company,” Woods recalled.
Before long, they had hired someone to build a custom tow-truck-operator Muffler Man. And before that Muffler Man was done, Lee Woods had bought another one — a Paul Bunyan in Oklahoma. Then in 2023 he got a hold of a Muffler Man Mr. Spock from Rainbow Neon in Salt Lake City. Now Woods has eight Muffler Men in Arkansas.
“Sometimes I get carried away, my wife says,” Woods said.
Last fall, he bought the museum, where he collaborates with Baker, who is founder of the American Giants website, creator of a Giants YouTube series and serves as a Muffler Man broker, consultant and transportation specialist.
“When people see these things, they think they’re the coolest thing out there,” Woods said. “Today we’ve had people from six different countries here.”
1.) Cowboy Bob, who is about 20 feet tall, plays guitar and wears a bolo tie, is one of several oversize fiberglass mascots along 11th Street in the Meadow Gold District of Tulsa. 2.) Meadow Gold Mack, a friendly lumberjack, is mascot for a shop of the same name on 11th Street in Tulsa. 3.) A Muffler Man near Gearhead Curios in Galena, Kan. 4.) The 2nd Amendment Cowboy is a fiberglass giant that stands at the entrance to a trailer park near the art installation Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas.
From here, the giants seemed to come fast and furious. One in Galena, Kan. Two in Vinita, Okla. (which has since added a third). Five in Tulsa’s Meadow Gold District (including one with an 8-foot-long guitar).
Then in Weatherford, Okla., came a 30-foot astronaut. In Amarillo, a “2nd Amendment Cowboy” with a pair of big pistols at his feet. In Gallup, N.M., a giant on the roof of a used car lot.
By the time I’d reached Flagstaff, my count was 18.
Then came my snowy moment with the original Muffler Man, whose nickname is Louie. Experts agree that he was produced in about 1963 and sent to a Flagstaff cafe with a lumberjack theme (and yes, that cafe stood along Route 66).
Louie stood there until the cafe closed more than 10 years later. Then he was donated to NAU and stationed by the ticket office of the university’s Walkup Skydome. Another lumberjack stands inside.
But after Louie, I hit a drought — no more giant sightings in Arizona and none on the Route 66 alignment I followed into Southern California.
This seemed wrong, because there are so many giants along the byways of Southern California and because this is the land of their birth. Besides Big Josh, there’s the Paul Bunyan in Mentone, the empty-handed Muffler Man known as Kevin on Sherman Way in Van Nuys. There’s the flag-wielding Porsche Muffler Man in Carson (who previously served in the same spot as a club-brandishing Golf Man). And there are plenty of others.
It didn’t seem right to end the journey without another sighting. So I made my way to Highland Park to meet the one who rules the roost.
More specifically, I headed for 5558 N. Figueroa St., which was on the path of Route 66 for several years in the 1930s and which is the home of Chicken Boy.
Blessed with the customized head of a chicken, the body of a Muffler Man and a bucket in his hands (for eating chicken?), Chicken Boy stood for years atop the Chicken Boy fried-chicken restaurant on Broadway downtown, inspiring writer Art Fein to label him “L.A.’s Statue of Liberty.”
After the restaurant was shuttered in 1984, Inouye swooped in to rescue Chicken Boy and place him in protective storage — for years, as it turned out.
The fiberglass statue known as Chicken Boy stands on the roof of artist, designer and gallerist Amy Inouye’s studio on Figueroa Street in Highland Park.
In October 2007, after she and longtime partner Stuart Rapeport had bought the Highland Park studio space and pulled permits, Inouye put Chicken Boy back together again and set him up on the roof. There he remains, sharing space with a billboard, visible up and down the block between Avenue 55 and Avenue 56.
If a nomination by L.A. preservationist Charles J. Fisher goes through, Chicken Boy could become the first Muffler Man declared a city historic-cultural monument. And if you drop by the Future Studio Gallery on a Saturday between noon and 3 p.m. or 4 p.m., you’ll likely find Inouye, now 74, along with a trove of Chicken Boy T-shirts, patches, pencils and ceramic treasure boxes.
But seeing Chicken Boy is its own reward, especially after seeing so many of his fiberglass cousins. I got there on a balmy afternoon, beheld Chicken Boy’s beak gleaming in the sun, and knew my mission was complete.
“Do you have an extra ticket?” a man shouted outside SoFi Stadium last Thursday.
The World Cup has been drawing fans from around the globe. But for many, getting a seat in the stadium has come at a steep price.
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Some were lucky enough to nab $400 to $500 tickets through official World Cup lotteries, others paid thousands of dollars to catch the action IRL. Tickets for the upcoming USA versus Turkey match were selling for more than $1,400 on resale sites.
The demand has been so high that authorities have been warning fans about how to avoid ticket scams.
As crowds flocked into the stadium, we asked attendees about how much they paid to get into the most-watched sporting event in the world. Here’s what they shared.
Their responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Luis Moreno, Luis Moreno Jr., Angelica Castellano, Diana Moreno and Ramon Aguilera of Orange County
Luis Moreno, Luis Moreno Jr., Angelica Castellanos, Diana Moreno and Ramon Aguilera sport Mexico gear.
How much did you pay for your tickets?
Diana: We don’t want to say because I don’t want our parents to know.
*Whispers* We paid retail. It was like $500 per ticket. For Father’s Day, we wanted to make sure he got to enjoy it.
Why did you want to attend the World Cup?
Castellano: We went in ‘86 in Mexico, ‘94 in Pasadena and now here. We’re excited because I want to enjoy it with my kids. If we didn’t come, I would’ve been sad because they need to see how it is.
Diana: Now, it’s our turn. Even though [today’s match] is not our country, we still had to come and experience it. We’ll watch our team play later on the big screen.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
Diana: Work, but that doesn’t matter. This is more important. Time with family.
Luis Jr.: Sleep. [Laughs]
Diana: It’s Thursday. We’re out here watching the game, we’re drinking, so there’s no complaints.
Was it worth it?
Diana: Absolutely. No matter what happens today. The fact that we’re here, it’s already a success.
Tell me about your outfit. You’re rocking Paisaboys, an L.A. brand.
Diana: I got the Paisaboys shirt on, repping. I know they have a collaboration with Nike. I got my Nike shoes on and I’m just ready to have a good time. My mom sewed her top last night. She wanted to add a little touch to it.
Angelica: Yes! This is an old, old, old jacket.
Diana: My dad’s outfit is sponsored by me. All Adidas, Father’s Day gift.
Luis Sr.: I got lucky this year.
Adam Chapman and Sarah Harrell of Washington, D.C.
Adam Chapman and Sarah Harrell.
How much did you pay for tickets?
Harrell: We went to two games: USA versus Paraguay [in Los Angeles] and Senegal versus France in New Jersey/New York.
Chapman: The L.A. tickets were way more expensive. We bought them presale for like $1,940, but the [seats] were still very high in the arena and the resale prices are actually cheaper than the ones we bought on presale. It’s horrible. [Laughs]
Why did you want to come to the World Cup?
Chapman: This is my first men’s World Cup. I went to the women’s World Cup in Australia a couple years ago. The last time the U.S. had a men’s World Cup here was like forever ago. We’re probably not going to have another in our lifetime, so I really wanted to make sure we had a chance to go to some games.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
Harrell: We’re moving the day we get back, so we were packing until the moment we got here. Some of this gear was last-minute purchasing in order to make that work. Also, we took a six-hour plane ride, middle seats. We really committed to get here. We got cat sitters, we both took days off from work, the whole thing.
Was it worth it?
Chapman: Yeah, just for the experience. It’s more money than we would’ve wanted to pay but yeah.
Harrell: We bought the tickets like a year and a half ago, so it’s been on the calendar forever. We ended up getting to bring my brother and his best friend to celebrate his 40th birthday, so it sort just worked out for all of us.
Laila Samimi and Elizabeth Cambage of Los Angeles
Laila Samimi and Elizabeth Cambage.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
Cambage: Nothing. Sorry.
Samimi: We were blessed.
Why did you want to attend the World Cup?
Cambage: This is my first fútbol game ever. I wanted to come cause it’s L.A. Yay sports! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let’s get out there and get into it.
Samimi: I’m born and raised in L.A. so I’m happy to see the World Cup here.
Tell me about your outfit inspiration.
Samimi: I’m wearing Honor the Gift, Russell Westbrook’s brand, a Nike top, my shorts are from a random boutique in L.A. and Jordan shoes.
Cambage: I just went crazy at the Nike store. I’m not gonna lie. We just came from the Nike store. I’m reppin’ USA today. Yes, I am Australian, but I do live in America and USA is AUS. [Laughs]
Kenan Sahbaz of St. Louis and family
Bosnia and Herzegovina fans cheer on their team.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
I got mine directly through the FIFA website. We paid $500 a piece. I brought my son, my cousins and their kids.
Why did you want to attend the World Cup?
Sahbaz: This is our very first World Cup. It’s a historic event for our very small country, Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is a huge accomplishment in the past 12 years. This is going to be the first time we’ve made it here again. We’ve got a really good squad and I think we can do some amazing things for our country. This is a time when we really need some support and joy in the country, and no better way to do it than at the World Cup.
Who’s your favorite player?
Kids: Džeko.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
Sahbaz: A lot. Work. Time. We were initially going to go on vacation to the Bahamas, but I asked him either the Bahamas or the World Cup. So when we found out that we made it, it was the World Cup. We canceled everything else. We even went to the qualifiers in Wales and that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience as well. There was just no way we were going to miss it.
Was it worth it?
Sahbaz: 100%. Win or lose, we still win today.
Daniel Henriquez and David Njenga of Seattle
David Njenga, left, sports Kenya gear, while Daniel Henriquez cheers for El Salvador.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
Henriquez: This match was $500 each. We bought it in like October of last year.
Why did you want to attend the World Cup?
Njenga: Because this is the World Cup. You have to go to a World Cup. This is my second one. I was in Qatar for the last World Cup.
Henriquez: The energy! World Cup baby!
Njenga: There’s people from all over the world. We are all assembled here to enjoy this moment.
Henriquez: This is what happens when all the world comes together. This is our utopia. We all love each other. We’re all here for one thing, to support our country.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
Njenga: My job. I have to be at work right now, but I took the day off. I don’t mind.
Henriquez: I’m a nurse for the fire department. My boss was awesome. She gave me a day off. I love my boss Nancy. Go Nancy!
Was it worth it?
Njenga: It is worth every penny. It’s not even the money. It’s the experience. After this, we head to San Francisco for another game.
Henriquez: Then we’re heading to Vancouver and then we have another game in Seattle.
Njenga: We’re going to six games [in total]. Our Houston tickets were the cheapest. They were about $400.
Cindy Vazquez of Granada Hills
Cindy Vazquez Zavala reps Mexico with her outfit.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
It was free.99. Shh!
Why did you want to come to the World Cup?
This is my first World Cup. The Jordan team invited me to attend this game, so lucky me. That’s why I’m wearing Jordans today. I’m in the industry so they invited a few employees from neighborhood stores to come.
Tell us about your outfit inspiration.
Today there’s a Mexico game, so I still gotta rep even though I’m attending this match [Switzerland versus Bosnia and Herzegovina]. The outfit is a Nike T90 jersey and my lace is from Amazon. I got the little [soccer] ball, the little World Cup and teddy bear from the gas station. I needed it.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
I actually had to request PTO to attend, but the store is still running without me. Right after this game, I actually have to jet back. I work at Feature, which is a sneaker boutique in Studio City. S/O Feature for allowing me to come here!
Fabian Almiron of Spain
Fabian Almiron, originally from Paraguay but currently living in Spain, rides Metro to the game.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
I paid $1,100 for the first game [June 12], $290 for the Turkey game [June 19] and the last game with Australia was $170 [June 25].
Why did you want to come to the World Cup?
This is my first World Cup. I live in Spain, but I’m rooting for Paraguay. I’m very excited to be seeing them participate after 16 years.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
I used like 20 to 25 days of vacation time to come see the World Cup.
Was it worth it?
Yes!
Sunny Kwong, Sam Mallari, Antonio Evangelista, Michael Evangelista of San Diego and Los Angeles
Antonio Evangelista, Sam Mallari, Michael Evangelista and Sunny Kwong are decked out in Bosnia and Herzegovina gear.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
Michael: We paid $400 each. We got lucky with the last chance lottery. They released the tickets a few months ago.
Why did you want to attend the World Cup?
Michael: We’re rooting for Bosnia this time. This is our first World Cup.
Antonio: It’s a lifelong dream. I’ve loved the sport ever since I was in the Philippines.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
Michael: Most of us had the day off. I worked in the morning at like 6 a.m. and then I’m going to work afterward. I really wanted to carve out time to be there.
Mallari: I took time off because this is my first soccer game ever and I wanted to experience the World Cup with true fans.
Was it worth it?
Michael: 100%. It’s honestly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s been awesome to be here with my dad. We watched the last World Cup finals and we were literally in tears. I know he’s been playing soccer ever since he was in the Philippines military.
Antonio: 20 years.
Becky Clift of Orange County and William Wagner of San Diego
Colleagues William Wagner and Becky Clift sport traditional festival inspired outfits to cheer on Switzerland.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
Clift: They were gifted to us.
Wagner: We’re a fortunate group.
Why did you want to come to the World Cup?
Clift: The World Cup in America is super fun, so we wanted to support it and be a part of it. This was the game that we got tickets for, so we decided to dress up a little bit and have some fun.
Wagner: We’re both soccer people. We both speak the world’s language, so we’re happy to be a part of it here.
Tell me about your outfit inspiration.
Wagner: I have a very close Swiss friend who was equipped for this. One quick phone call and here I am.
Clift: Then I had to get mine so I could support.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
Wagner: A full day of work. We’re both engineers. We know each other through work.
Was it worth it?
Wagner: We’ll find out.
Clift: Heck yeah!
Jorge Morales of Topanga
Jorge Morales holds out a ball he got at the World Cup opener in Mexico City.
How much did you pay for tickets?
It was between $800 to $900 for my USA versus Paraguay tickets. I bought them through Seat Geek.
Why did you want to come to the World Cup?
I wanted to experience it not just in Los Angeles, but I also wanted to experience it in Mexico. I’m going to three games in Los Angeles and four in Mexico City. Going to my first World Cup in Mexico City was a whole different ballgame. Mexico played in their home country and they won. It was like pandemonium. Even though it was raining over there at the time, it was still a lot of fun. Everyone was hugging each other. I’m looking at you, New York Knicks fans. [Laughs]
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
I’m used to traveling, so I’m like this ain’t nothing. I just wanted to experience a World Cup game and the fact that it’s in three countries, you’re not going to experience that any other time. It’s the one and only World Cup where you’re going to see three countries hosting it.
Alexi Kulik, Marcella Harkness, Luke Kulik and Ian Harkness of San Diego
Switzerland fans Alexi Kulik, Marcella Harkness, Luke Kulik and Ian Harkness.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
Ian: $450 per ticket.
Alexi: We won the ticket lottery. That’s the only way ‘cause the resale is expensive.
Why did you want to attend the World Cup?
Marcella: This is our first World Cup!
Ian: I was at the Switzerland versus Qatar game. Similar outfit. We got it dialed this time. Lots of fun. Tough ending, but what are you going to do?
Luke: We wanted to support Switzerland. Everyone in the family is Swiss. It’s fun to go to a World Cup game. We were just excited to get tickets. I think it’s a great way for the family to spend time together and a good excuse to get out of work.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
Luke: Time off work. Time to come here. We drove up here. I don’t think we gave up much. We just enjoy being here.
Ian: $450.
Alexi: And we woke up at 5 a.m., so that we could come up here and spend the day together.
Was it worth it?
All: Yes!
Anja Gegic, Dino Gegic, Benjamin Mustafic, Nordin Kapic, Armin Kapic of Los Angeles
Bosnia and Herzegovina fans Anja Gegic, Dino Gegic, Benjamin Mustafic, Nordin Kapic and Armin Kapic.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
Nordin: $3,000. We’re like literally on the field.
Anja: $450. In L.A., we got it like that.
Why did you want to attend the World Cup?
Anja: This is our second time ever qualifying for the World Cup. We are so proud to be here and support our country today.
Nordin: I mean, look around. Why would you not want to be here today?
Armin: We’re hoping for the win!
All: 2-0!
Bendicht Hügli and Lucia Grajales of Mexico City
Lucia Grajales and Bendicht Hugli, both currently living in Mexico City, hold a Swiss flag.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
Hügli: The ticket was $650. That’s stealing. That’s robbery. When I went in ‘86, I think the tickets were 10% of the price I paid for this year.
Why did you want to attend the World Cup?
Hügli: I had some business in San Diego. I saw Switzerland is going to be here, so let’s hit it and break the bank to get tickets. I went to the World Cup in Mexico City in ’86. I saw 12 games. I’m going to one this time.
Was it worth it?
Hügli: We’ll see. If Switzerland plays lousy, then I’m going to be pissed, but I think they’ll do better than in the first game.
Flavia Sacco and Isidoro Garcia of Washington, D.C.
Flavia Sacco and Isidoro Garcia root for Paraguay.
How much did you pay for your ticket?
Isidoro: I think it was around $500 per ticket. Again, we were very lucky because Paraguay was the first game.
Flavia: It was early bird without knowing who was going to play.
Isidoro: We’re also going to the Paraguay versus Turkey game in San Francisco and the third one in Mexico City.
Why did you want to come to the World Cup?
Flavia: We’re rooting for Paraguay. I’m from Paraguay, born and raised.
Isidoro: This is my second World Cup. I went to the one in Qatar. We were very excited about it. Actually, we were very lucky too because we bought Paraguay’s tickets when they were selling them blank. So we just bought the three tickets for Paraguay before knowing the group stage and then it turned out to be in the U.S., so it was awesome.
Flavia: We were hoping it would be on the East Coast because that’s where we live and it ended up being on the other side of the country, but we already had the tickets and we really wanted to go to a game, so we flew. We’re coming straight from the airport. We have our 5-month-old baby who is at the hotel with my mom.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
Isidoro: I guess time with our daughter. Even though it’s only going to be a few hours, we miss her a lot. She’s very tiny. Every [moment] is precious with her.
Was it worth it?
Isidoro: Yes, even though it’s a few hours and hopefully Paraguay will pull it off.
Jorge Espinosa of Los Angeles
Jorge Espinosa of Los Angeles.
How much did you pay for tickets?
For the USA versus Paraguay ticket, I think I paid like $1,800, and for another match, I think I paid about $1,020, so a little less. I think that’s when the prices started to go down.
Why did you want to come to the World Cup?
I’ve always wanted to go. I missed my chance to go to Brazil in 2014. I really wanted to go, but I had just taken a huge trip to Asia, so I couldn’t really go. I didn’t have any money left and I’ve been thinking about the World Cup being here since it was awarded to the U.S. I was really bummed out when it was awarded to Qatar instead of the U.S. and also instead of Australia. I’m really excited about it. It feels unreal.
What does it mean for the World Cup to be in your hometown?
It means so much. I remember when they had it here in ‘94. I didn’t get a chance to go to any of the games, but the energy that you feel around the city is like next level. The events they’ve been hosting are so awesome. You get to meet more people from other walks of life and other countries.
Did you have to give up anything to be here?
I just pretty much had to pick up more debt, but I get points so it’ll help fly somewhere. Also, debt disappears when you die so they can try coming after me for that World Cup money, but they never will. [Laughs]
Was it worth it?
I looked at the price and was like, “It’ll never be this cheap in my life, ever.” It’s only ever going to go up, and, hey, it’s in my backyard.
Additional reporting and translation by Dante Estrada.
Facts by day, fiction by night! At the end of a long day in the newsroom, many of our journalists head home and escape into novels of all types. We asked our NPR colleagues what fiction they’ve enjoyed reading so far this year, and these are the titles they shared. (You can also check out their nonfiction picks here; and sign up for our Books newsletter for weekly recommendations.)
A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford
The opening chapter of A Bad, Bad Place is delivered in a short burst. We are presented with three characters — Janey, her nana, Sid Vicious (the rescue dog) — and one heck of a predicament. As 12-year-old Janey states: “It’s Sid’s fault that I found the dead body.” It becomes her job to unwind the mystery of her discovery in her rough neighborhood in 1979 Glasgow, Scotland. Recalling what she saw (and admitting what she didn’t tell police) is key. Frances Crawford shapes this world with such care and love, even in tough circumstances. Read this book. — Shannon Rhoades, supervising senior editor, Weekend Edition
A Perfect Hand by Ayelet Waldman
The hero of A Perfect Hand is Miss Alice Lockey, lady’s maid to Lady Jemima Alderwick. Alice falls in love with Charlie Wells, who is the valet to the eccentric Lord Wynstowe, but for the two to be together, they must devise a plot to bring about an unlikely romantic union between their employers, who, naturally, hate each other. What starts as a classic marriage plot, though, evolves into a very different, more complex story. Alice, you see, has been reading about the burgeoning women’s rights movement in her 19th-century England. And maybe, just maybe, she has begun to imagine a future for herself that — gasp! — might not involve marriage after all. — Samantha Balaban, senior producer, Weekend Edition
Cherry Baby by Rainbow Rowell
This is the first novel I’ve read that asks: How do you navigate being fat in a GLP-1-crazed world? And on top of unwanted fame and changing marital expectations? Fortunately, Cherry, Rainbow Rowell’s hero, is proudly fat and fierce, which helps when her husband, Tom, creates a semi-autobiographical comic with a character who looks so much like Cherry (double chin and all) that strangers recognize her. It becomes a hit, and Tom goes to Hollywood, leaving Cherry behind with the dog. But she refuses to stay downtrodden — I found Cherry’s spirit irresistible. — Emiko Tamagawa, senior producer, Here & Now
Cry Havoc by Rebecca Wait
There’s a whole genre of books set in quaint British boarding schools (the Harry Potter series, Tom Brown’s School Days, etc.). Cry Havoc is nothing like any of them. Set in a dilapidated, fifth-rate girls school in the 1980s, this dark and hilarious novel follows a teenage student, Ida Campbell, as she eats inedible school dinners, rooms with a hostile and self-destructive roommate and grapples with a bizarre epidemic that causes members of the student body to jerk their arms and legs uncontrollably. The book also contains one of the most brilliant, side-splitting scenes set at a school play ever written. — Chloe Veltman, correspondent, Society & Culture Desk
Dear Monica Lewinsky by Julia Langbein
This is the only novel of the hundreds I have read where I reread the ending three times: It was that satisfying! Julia Langbein’s comic romp takes us through the summer of 1998, when a college student is out of her depth in a study abroad program surveying the iconography of minor medieval French churches. She’s also out of her head with desire for one of her teachers, mirroring a certain political scandal erupting in the U.S. Who’s she gonna call on decades later when the teacher’s retirement sends her into a middle-aged tailspin? Saint Monica Lewinsky, of course! Insightful, hilarious and, in the end, everybody gets exactly what they deserve. — Melissa Gray, senior producer, Weekend Edition
Discipline by Larissa Pham
Discipline follows the story of an artist whose relationship to her work has been ruined by a lecherous older professor. When she writes and publishes a revenge-plot book about a character much like him, he reads it — and the two have an astounding confrontation about what happened between them. I enjoyed the taut style and the meditation on harm, justice and truth — a really great debut. — Liam McBain, producer, It’s Been a Minute
Enemies to Lovers by Alisha Rai
Pick this one up if you’re looking for a gulpable, plotty adventure. Meet the unlikely crime-solving duo: Krish is an upstanding citizen, while Sejal was born into a crime family and makes a living running small cons on bad men. Their worlds collide when Krish’s FBI agent brother disappears while investigating a crime syndicate. Sejal is his only lead in the case, and the two reluctantly team up. Romance and high jinks ensue as they embark on a cross-country road trip filled with car chases and shared hotel rooms. Pairs well with popcorn. — Lauren Migaki, senior producer, Society & Culture Desk
The Fourth Princess: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai by Janie Chang
I love a good story that mixes two women who are orphans, a mysterious guardian, a dilapidated gothic mansion with secrets of its own — that throws in a dash of Chinese superstition, romance and, of course, murder. The first woman in the story, Caroline, was born to what she thought were fabulously wealthy parents, but she finds out after they die that they were broke. So she decides to assume the identity of a dead, wealthy friend, marries well and lives a glorious life. The other, Lisan, is found wandering the streets of Shanghai as a child — a wealthy man takes her in. Caroline ends up hiring Lisan — and a tale ensues full of lies, secrets and daring escapes. — Jeanine Herbst, news anchor
Ghost Town by Tom Perrotta
Tom Perrotta’s latest novel is a memory piece set in the summer of 1974. Jay Perry, a once serious writer who has struck it rich with a kids book series-turned-TV show featuring a paranormal crusader called Ghost Teacher, is invited back to his suburban New Jersey hometown, which he left some 50 years earlier. Most of the novel follows the life of young “Jimmy” during the life-changing summer when he lost his mother, experimented with sex and a Ouija board, and learned the consequences of hanging out with the wrong guys. Perrotta’s view of strip mall suburbs as places where banality, goofiness, grace and tragedy converge is singular. — Maureen Corrigan, book critic, Fresh Air
Into the Blue by Emma Brodie
This book is for everyone who loves a rom-com but secretly hungers for the rom-traum — aka the kind of romance that makes you suffer a little (or a lot!). Into the Blue is the perfect blend of sexy, angsty and gut-wrenching. It follows AJ Graves, an aspiring comedy writer, and Noah Drew, the broody scion of an acting family, as they fall in love in the summer of 2000. The duo is doomed to feel the ache of that unforeseen connection for the decade to come. Their journey is twisted over tangled years of yearning and (seemingly) insurmountable external challenges. It’s tragically compelling and deliciously poignant. Angsty lovers, feast away! — Kalyani Saxena, associate producer, Here & Now
The Jellyfish Problem by Tessa Yang
When marine biologist Josephine “Jo” Ness receives a call from an old friend about a massive, glowing jellyfish terrorizing an island off the coast of Maine, she can’t help but see it for herself. Whether it’s Jo’s obsession with jellies, her nostalgia for that particular friendship or an escape from the grief she has been drowning in since the death of her best friend, dive buddy and jellyfish research partner, Aldo, something is pulling her to that island. The scientific discovery of a lifetime awaits. But if Jo gives in to that thing pulling her into the dark waters, will she be able to leave? — Dhanika Pineda, assistant producer, Weekend Edition
John of John by Douglas Stuart
The latest novel from Booker Prize winner Douglas Stuart sweeps you away to the remote islands of the Scottish Hebrides. Cal returns to his conservative small town after textile college. Cal is gay, which he keeps a secret from his family, and you learn very quickly that his father, John, who is a farmer and a weaver, is keeping secrets too. Stuart’s characters are so lovable, even when they’re treating each other poorly. I was particularly taken by Cal’s tender relationship with his sassy grandmother, Ella, who always has her hands in the other characters’ lives. It’s a beautiful novel about duty, faith and the isolation of keeping secrets from the people closest to you. — Anna Bauman, producer, Fresh Air
Lady Tremaine by Rachel Hochhauser
The most familiar iteration of “Cinderella” is full of flat characters like the one-dimensional wicked stepmother. Rachel Hochhauser’s novel, instead, breathes life, dimension and cultural context into her Lady Tremaine. We first meet this stepmother outdoors hunting — possibly poaching — with her falcon, a welcome and heartening echo of Agnes in Maggie O’Farrell’s Hamnet. Tremaine’s story is one about what it means to gain and lose privilege in a world where money and men are the only protections. It’s a triumphant ode to the countless lost histories of women who gave their all to fight for the dignity of other women — stepdaughters included — in predatory patriarchal societies. — Tayla Burney, director, Network Programming and Production
Last Night in Brooklyn by Xochitl Gonzalez
Last Night in Brooklyn is a bittersweet fever dream of a novel — a sticky summer something that sits somewhere between a telenovela and Succession. For 26-year-old Brooklyn native Alicia Canales Forten, observing the life of her glamorous and enigmatic neighbor beats coming to terms with her withering personal relationships. But this neighbor, dubbed La Garza, quickly turns Alicia’s life (and Brooklyn itself, circa 2007) into something she no longer recognizes. Xochitl Gonzalez’s prose is warm enough to seduce but cool enough to rip it all away — lest any of us gets too comfortable looking into the proverbial neighbor’s window. A truly gorgeous read! — Ivy Buck, production assistant, Society & Culture Desk
The Missed Connection by Tia Williams
To start, I must say this is my favorite Tia Williams book. If you know this author, you know she excels at writing dynamic characters in her romances. This time is no different. In this book, Sasha sits next to a dreamy man on a plane, but they miss the chance to exchange contact info. With a connection this strong, she has to find him, right? Well, that’s exactly what she sets out to do with the assistance of a detective who previously helped her during a traumatic time. That search sets Sasha off on an exciting, funny, freeing and even a little bit sexy adventure, which she hasn’t had in a while. — Brittney Melton, Up First newsletter writer
Little, Brown and Company
New Skin by Sarah Wang
New Skin by Sarah Wang opens with Linli Feng at home in Los Angeles, reluctantly taking care of her mom, Fanny, who is recovering from an infection after too many back-alley plastic surgeries. What starts as an obligatory stint at home spirals into chaos, with Fanny competing on a reality TV show to fix her botched face, while Linli navigates their tortured relationship amid the shadowy underworld of bargain-basement beauty. It’s not just dark comedy and body horror — it’s also a compelling meditation on immigration, labor and intergenerational trauma. The writing is beautiful, and I couldn’t put it down. — Neena Pathak, senior editor, It’s Been a Minute
Offseason by Avigayl Sharp
I had no idea what I was in for when I cracked this open. Sure, I got the gist from the jacket copy: A young woman, her personal and professional aspirations a fresh shambles, tries a new tack with a fill-in gig teaching at an all-girls school, in a seasonal tourist town that’s past its annual sell-by date. But this synopsis utterly fails to capture what awaited me. In fairness, I can’t imagine a synopsis that could have. Avigayl Sharp’s slim, mischievous shape-shifter of a debut novel rendered me a bit of a shambles myself, swinging from giggles to cringes, from dread to discomforting recognition, to the occasional thousand-yard stare. More than one passerby interrupted my reading to ask whether I was OK; in truth, I still may not be. — Colin Dwyer, contributor to NPR’s The Book Ahead
On the Calculation of Volume (Book IV) by Solvej Balle, translated by Sophia Hersi Smith and Jennifer Russell
What would you do if you were stuck repeating a single day of your life? Would you learn all the sounds it makes? The changes in air pressure? Would you explain to your partner what has happened every morning, as time creates a division between you? Maybe you would try to move through each day with an objective, with the aim of seeing different places and experiencing changing seasons. Or maybe you would look for a way out of the day, for rifts in the loop. These are the explorations that wash over Tara Selter in On the Calculation of Volume. Now on its fourth installment to be translated into English, each book is a journey through November 18ths that will make you admire the details in your own days. — Lillian King, producer, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!
The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn
I’ve long admired Kate Clayborn for her crystalline prose and deeply heartfelt stories. Here, she delivers one of my favorite recent romances with the introduction of practical-minded Layla Bailey, who’s in Paris for the wedding of her former husband’s sister. She’s determined to be the dutiful, amicable ex. But Griffin Testa — the frustrating, broody best man — sees through her carefully constructed defenses. Layla and Griffin have their swoony moments, but they also have real, grown-up conversations about the pain they’re harboring and how to be together. These are adults who are putting in the work, and the emotional payoff is well worth it. — Wailin Wong, co-host, The Indicator from Planet Money
Railsong by Rahul Bhattacharya
Railsong is a sweeping novel set in 20th-century India. Charu is a young girl growing up in government housing. Her father, a railway employee, fights against convention and gives her the made-up, caste-less surname of Chitol — setting her up for an extraordinary life. The novel follows her journey from modern-day West Bengal to Mumbai, as she tries to find her own place in the world amid personal and political upheaval. This book made me nostalgic for a life and time I’ve never known. — Anandita Bhalerao, associate producer, Digital Platforms
Rebel English Academy by Mohammed Hanif
This tale is made up of quite a cast of characters: a lusty, drunk intelligence officer, men who seem to spontaneously combust, a runner who can’t escape the rape she experienced, and a gay man living in a mosque who only wants to teach revolution in English and, maybe, fumble about in a darkened movie theater with a stranger. Author Mohammed Hanif, always droll, takes a headline from Pakistan from the 1970s — the hanging of a populist leader, who was also a feudal lord — and turns it into a saturated, layered snapshot of a time and place. You don’t need to be interested in Pakistan or South Asia to read Hanif. Just bring your curiosity and your willingness to see the multitudes contained in one person, and one place. — Diaa Hadid, correspondent, International Desk
The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson
Told from multiple perspectives, The Shampoo Effect is the story of a writer infiltrating (or dating into) a tight-knit group of adults who have been friends since childhood. The plot — which is mostly about domestic life, parenthood, relationships and its entanglements — has lots of twists and turns. A surprise pregnancy! A scandalous past! It’s a quick read, but delightfully satisfying. — Elissa Nadworny, correspondent and guest host
She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang
Mostly happily married, Carlos and Avery move from Canada to their native Philippines, dreams in tow. He wants to sell his childhood home; she hopes to expand their family. But Carlos’ parents just want him to figure out why his grandfather, who died 10 years ago, has returned to the house. Tragedy strikes before anyone gets what they want, trapping the family in the horrors of their superstitions, secrets and sacrifices. Michelle Tang’s debut novel introduces the unfamiliar reader to Filipino folklore in a page-turner where faith, love, skepticism — and ghosts — must play nice to survive. This cozy gothic horror is the perfect book for readers who can’t abide an unsolved mystery, or for those who will stay up all night entrusting their nightmare’s doom to the dawn. — Nikki Birch, video producer
Son of Nobody by Yann Martel
Academia noir, as a subgenre, tends toward the fantastical. Yann Martel’s latest novel, Son of Nobody, set at a major research university, is dark, but it’s also entirely realistic in its portrayal of shattered scholarly aspirations and shattered families. No vampires or mystical portals to other realms. Harlow Donne is a grad student, husband and father who heads off to the U.K. on a classics fellowship, leaving behind his wife and young daughter. Whether he does or does not make an important discovery while there is a major plot point. Regardless, Harlow learns the price of abandonment. — Jason DeRose, religion correspondent, National Desk
This House Will Feed by Maria Tureaud
Meshing gothic horror and history, this book challenges everything you thought you knew about the Irish potato famine, also known as the Great Hunger. The story follows Maggie O’Shaughnessy, a famine survivor who agrees to pose as an eccentric aristocrat’s dead daughter for food and shelter, only to find herself trapped in a haunted estate. The author brilliantly incorporates real historical documents and invokes the supernatural and Irish folklore to open readers’ eyes to the devastating reality of this period of mass starvation. — Julie Rogers, senior manager, Research, Archives & Data strategy
This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me by Ilona Andrews
This is a fun read for anyone who has ever imagined themselves inside a beloved book (and let’s be honest, my fellow Hufflepuffs, who hasn’t?). Modern-day normie Maggie wakes up to find she has been magically transported into the world of her favorite fiction series. But unlike other literary protagonists stuck in this common plot device, Maggie lands in fantasyland with no transferable skills, allure or, even, clothing. Gambling her extensive fangirl knowledge of the original series’ timeline, which changes with every butterfly she steps on, Maggie has to save the kingdom she knows is doomed without becoming a main character herself. Be warned that this is Part 1 of a series in progress. — Liz Baker, producer, National Desk
This Story Might Save Your Life by Tiffany Crum
When podcast hosts Benny and Joy start a survival-story-themed podcast, they have no idea it will become a massive hit. Their lives are busy with tours, captivated audiences and new episodes when one day, Joy and her husband, Xander, go missing. Benny is the main suspect, and he’ll do anything to prove his innocence. He begins a whirlwind investigation to find out what happened to his best friend. This Story Might Save Your Life has the standard trappings of a thriller, but it’s also a surprisingly warm treatise on friendship and found family. — Hafsa Fathima, assistant producer, Pop Culture Happy Hour
Vigil by George Saunders
Vigil is about ghosts and regrets. It’s also about climate change! In it, a parade of restless spirits comes to visit a dying oil company CEO. Some want him to repent for his many lies. Others reinforce his feeling that he has nothing to apologize for. The plot moves through time and space (ghosts aren’t bound by the same rules as the living). This book left me disturbed in a good way. It demands that the reader confront big questions: What does it mean to lie? What do we owe each other? At what point is it too late to apologize? — Rebecca Hersher, climate correspondent, National Desk
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
Before I read Andrew Sean Greer, I’d never stopped to ponder the rich relationship between humor and honesty. As he did in his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Less, Greer uses an American abroad to explore how many years, and sometimes miles, you must put behind you before your confusion, despair and grief can become funny stories. And believe me, this sunny book is packed with hysterical stories from some of the most vivid and entertaining characters: You’ll wish you could pull them from the pages and plop them around a dinner table. But the line that stayed with me the longest was this: “The price for seeing things as they really are. It is our youth.” As honest, hilarious and heartbreaking as life itself. — Elena Burnett, producer, All Things Considered
We Will See You Bleed by Ron Currie
Rather than a sequel to his celebrated Canuck-noir novel, The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne, Ron Currie goes back in time to paint Waterville, Maine, in the summer of 1984. It’s a mill-town revolt in the early days of globalization — the death of an industry and of a way of life for local Franco-Americans — and the birth of Babs’ not-quite-benevolent crime syndicate. It’s a brilliant Maine thriller, unfolding 40 miles and an entire world away from the state’s much chronicled rocky coast. — Graham Smith, senior producer, Investigations Desk
Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke
A hugely popular tradwife influencer — think Ballerina Farm’s Hannah Neeleman — awakens one morning, in what appears to be 1855, and must actually live the life she has been cosplaying on Instagram. This premise couldn’t feel more perfectly targeted to skewer today’s cultural and political moment if it were designed in a lab. It’s a thriller that keeps you guessing to the final twist, but it’s also an unexpectedly complex meditation on power, control, ambition, motherhood — and the fundamentally contradictory demands placed on women, whether or not they wake before dawn each day to bake sourdough. — Shannon Bond, correspondent
It doesn’t take much these days to fall down a GLP-1 rabbit hole on the internet. TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Reddit all feature streams of testimonials from people touting the miracle — and warning of the risks — of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy.
In recent years, microdosing — taking smaller doses than what’s generally prescribed for obesity and diabetes — has also cultivated a cult-like following online. Microdosing advocates claim it can help with weight loss by reducing cravings, better metabolic health, reduce inflammation, enhance mood and cognitive function, and even potentially improve longevity, all while coming with less side effects and being more affordable than larger doses.
Microdosing GLP-1s began emerging as a trend after Wegovy, an Ozempic competitor, was approved by the FDA for obesity in 2021. (Previously, Ozempic was being used for weight loss, but had only been approved for diabetes.) In the years following approval, a growing number of household names from Oprah to Elon Musk spoke publicly about their positive experiences using GLP-1s for weight loss. This fueled an exponential growth in interest among the public, but not everyone qualifies for GLP-1s through their insurance or can afford them, even if they do.
All of the major brand-name medications people currently use for weight loss are based on one of two molecules: semaglutide or tirzepatide, and most are self-injected weekly. Ozempic and Wegovy contain semaglutide, which works by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1 that helps regulate appetite and blood sugar. Mounjaro and Zepbound contain tirzepatide, which targets that hormone plus another one involved in metabolism.
The price of weight loss
Brand name GLP-1s cost around $10,000 per year or more if paid for out of pocket, and around $300 to $1,200 per year if covered by insurance. Many insurance plans, however, will only pay for GLP-1s if a person has a diagnosis of diabetes, not obesity. On top of that, one of the biggest complaints about GLP-1s, when taken according to the standard doses approved by the FDA — is that they cause side effects such as nausea, diarrhea and fatigue. Influencers, everyday people and even some medical professionals online now recommend microdosing as a potential solution.
“In three weeks, I have lost 7 pounds and [have] very few side effects. Before now I was terrified of them. They put my husband on [a] standard dose for diabetes and he was just so sick,” reads a Reddit post by MenloShark25, who says they’re receiving their prescription through telehealth provider Midi.
“I’m microdosing. I’m on week 4 of [semaglutide] and my mind is blown,” reads another Reddit post by palenesslitethesky. “I feel so much better than I expected to. The microdosing is great for me because I was super scared about getting constipated. I am down 9 pounds and my tastes changed. I was addicted to sugar!! Addicted. Now I hardly want sugar.”
The DIY injections boom
In 2025, following the surge of anecdotal reports online about microdosing, a number of telehealth companies such as Fridays, Noom and Found Health started offering GLP-1 protocols at lower doses and lower costs. Previously, people who were taking smaller doses of GLP-1s were either getting them “off label” from a physician — which means they were prescribed, but not based on the protocols approved by the FDA — or getting them illegally online and figuring out how to take them on their own. One controversial aspect of microdosing GLP-1s is that, when they’re taken in smaller doses, they often come from compounding pharmacies that make their own versions of FDA-approved drugs. This allows for dose customization but isn’t subject to the same reviews for safety, efficacy or consistency, and may carry added risks related to quality control, potency variation or contamination.
For people like Monika Awadalla, however, they feel they have no choice but to find GLP-1s on their own, unable to afford the cost of treatment through a physician. Awadalla, a 31-year-old caretaker living in Huntington Beach, has been buying a compounded tirzepatide from an illegal manufacturer in China that she connected with through a Facebook group about a year and a half ago. In that time, she’s gone from 245 pounds to 140 pounds.
“I’m extremely happy now,” she says. “I don’t need to stay home, I’m not embarrassed, I’m already looking forward to summer. Everything is just in its right place.” The manufacturer, who communicates on encrypted messaging boards such as Telegram and Signal, charges $290 for 10 vials of compounded tirzepatide, which will last Awadalla about a year.
Based on stories like Awadalla’s, it’s no wonder so many people are curious about microdosing GLP-1s through their doctor, telehealth companies and illegal suppliers. But do we have enough information yet on the benefits and risks? Here’s the deal.
A doctor’s take
For now, there’s no scientific studies looking at the efficacy and safety of microdosing GLP-1s. Dr. Shauna Levy, medical director for the Tulane Weight Loss Center, says that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work, but that the medical community just doesn’t know. Even if it does cause weight loss or a reduction in inflammation, she says, it’s unclear whether those results will persist long-term or whether the practice causes harm.
One of the biggest problems with the term “microdosing,” as it pertains to GLP-1s, Levy says, is that it’s “vague,” and there’s no consensus on what it’s referring to. “Microdosing GLP-1s is almost becoming this buzz word that carries inconsistent meaning. I think there are many people who are using it as a marketing tool because they want people to think you’re not on a full dose of a GLP-1,” she says. “But if we’re really talking about treating obesity, those microdosing doses are not going to be effective for most people, and so I worry people are going to pay for it cause it’s cheaper and then it’s not going to work for them and they’re going to think ‘here’s one more thing that’s not working for me.’”
Levy says GLP-1s, when prescribed correctly, are “fantastic” for treating obesity. In her patients, gastrointestinal effects are common but generally tolerable. She also believes that it’s important to expand the criteria for obesity so that more people qualify for these drugs through the proper channels, but says it’s crucial that patients receive ongoing care from a medical professional who has been licensed by the American Board of Obesity Medicine. “A lot of GLP-1s are being prescribed by untrained in obesity professionals,” Levy says. “My No. 1 issue is who is prescribing it.”
Dr. Sara Siavoshi, a board-certified obesity, neurology and headache specialist, treats about 5,000 patients in her practice. She estimates 30 to 40% of them are microdosing either tirzepatide or semaglutide. Siavoshi defines a microdose as “the lowest dose of a GLP-1 that lowers food noise without causing any significant weight loss.” Food noise, a term used in obesity medicine, refers to chronic unwanted thoughts that make healthful choices (both about how much to eat and what to eat) difficult. If the GLP-1 dosage leads to more weight loss than 3 or 4 pounds, she says, then she doesn’t define it as a microdose. She says most people seem to think a microdose means an amount that’s lower than what’s commercially available, but in her practice, she hasn’t seen it benefit most of her patients when doing that. Generally, she’s found success in putting people on the lowest commercially available dose of a GLP-1. “I’ll tell you the patient satisfaction rate is extremely high and patients are very, very happy on these meds,” Siavoshi says. In addition to reducing food noise, her primary goal is to lower inflammation in patients with autoimmune conditions.
Recommended: continuous, certified care
Siavoshi emphasizes the importance of working with someone who has been trained in obesity medicine, pointing to the American Board of Obesity Medicine’s website, where patients can look up their providers and make sure that they’re certified. She’s not opposed, she said, to all online platforms providing care, but says it’s essential to be getting consistent support from someone who can put together a treatment plan and be there throughout the process.
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