Trying That in a Small Town

Baseball? Hot Dogs? Apple Pie? Chevrolet? Is there anything that can still unite Americans in different regions, with different political persuasions, from Hollywood to the Heartland? It turns out the answer is yes and it comes in the form of a weekly shot. Ozempic and other similar drugs have come to a city near you, and they’re changing more than waistlines and blood sugar levels. When it comes to the adoption of these new drugs, the coasts are hardly elite. In fact, “America’s weight-loss drug capital isn’t Hollywood or Manhattan. It’s Bowling Green, Kentucky … Bowling Green is perhaps best known as the home of the General Motors Co. assembly plant where Chevrolet Corvettes are manufactured and the birthplace of the mid-20th century food sage Duncan Hines. A decade ago there were still farms on the outskirts of town. Kentucky’s third-largest city, with 74,000 residents, Bowling Green today is crisscrossed with strip malls and highways. While there’s some bus service and a smattering of bike lanes, most people get around by car, and rush-hour traffic can be heavy. Residents say there’s not much to do besides eat.” But they’re doing less of that these days. “Bowling Green can now boast of something else: It’s Ozempictown, USA. Kentucky has the highest concentration of people with weight-loss drug prescriptions in the country.” Bloomberg (Gift Article): What Happens When Ozempic Takes Over Your Town.

+ Weight loss is a selling point for many Ozempic users, but the benefits seem to go well beyond that. Now if scientists could just figure out why. Wired: The Benefits of Ozempic Are Multiplying.