WLIs - some people say such weird things…

[threeeggsontoast]

I was out with friends last week and we were talking about a woman we know who’s recently been diagnosed with cancer. She went to the doctor for one thing but then tests revealed totally unexpected cancer - terrible shock.

Anyway as we were chatting, one of the group (who’s a dietician) said, ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if the mounjaro she’s on has been masking the cancer’. Whaaatt?
(This friend doesn’t know I’m on it). She then went on to say that ‘40% of people on weight loss drugs go on to have their gallbladders removed’. I knew there was no evidence for the last statement but the whole conversation irritated me and it’s not the first time I’ve heard this half-baked nonsense from people.

Yes, WLIs are powerful drugs and can have side effects but for many, the drugs are no doubt saving lives by reducing obesity and obesity-related illness.

Some previously rational people seem to have lost their minds over other people taking WLIs. Also with this conversation, it seems like there was a hint of victim blaming too, e.g ‘if she’d not taken the drugs, the cancer would have come to light earlier’ - something absolutely no one can say for sure.

I am puzzled as to why some people are so vehemently against WLIs - to the point they’ll even repeat stats there’s no evidence for.

I have no idea regarding the gallbladder thing but I have unfortunately had a friend miss one of the major cancer symptoms which is unexplained weight loss as to her it wasn't unexplained as she was on WLIs. So it could be true that had she not been on WLIs she may have gone to see a Doctor sooner.

Think you have got the wrong end of the stick op. Your friend isn’t linking WLI to cancer, she is saying that unexpected weight loss is a symptom of cancer which can be masked by WLI.
Which is true.

You have jumped very defensively onto something there.

Agree- drastic weight loss is not healthy and often a sign of cancer. So when you induce it via WLI then you are indeed masking a sign of cancer which would otherwise get picked up earlier. You’re on the defence.

Oh it’s jealousy. There are many other signs: lethargy, bruising etc the symptoms need to be considered overall. Weight loss also doesn’t happen first everyone who’s diagnosed.

It’s jealousy. However, if the friend hadn’t been on WLI then she may have lost weight as a symptom of cancer so had it diagnosed earlier. No one can say that for sure though.

Gallbladder problems are a common side effect but not 40%. If morbidly obese then up to 30% more chance of problems than a normal weight person. Chance of anyone on wli having gallbladder problems is 1-10%. It’s due a such a rapid weight loss.

People are nervous/worried about new things. It’s not unlike the fear that you’d suffocate on fast moving trains because you wouldn’t be able to breathe going at that speed.

When enough people have demonstrated the actual level of risk, it will stop. At the moment it’s still very new and the risk averse are seeing some worrying cases and extrapolating incorrectly.

Ah, to be fair, I might have been a bit prickly as true, if her weight loss had been unexplained, she might have gone to the doctors earlier. Fair point but I think this is just one example of some of the things I’ve heard about WLIs.

From the studies I’ve looked at, gall bladder problems arise with around 2.6% of patients compared to 1.2% of those on placebo. This was “problems” though, not incidents of gall bladder removal. The OP’s friend cited 40% of patients having their gall bladder removed. That is a ludicrous thing to say.

What are the 'jealousy' comments about. Totally ridiculous and unfounded and the stock go-to where women are concerned and vaguely misogynistic.

The gall bladder seat sounds off, but as a nutritionist, she probably is against WLI and thinks people should just eat properly in the first place. Probably not jealous though.

Not sure I’m buying the whole it masked unexplained weight loss thing, you could say the same for any diet. So by that yardstick anyone dieting could miss the signs of cancer. It’s a bit of a reach. Millions of people diet and get cancer, the two are not mutually exclusive.

and I agree with you op. You just need to look at some of the threads on here. Some people are really fucked uo about weight, theirs v other people’s and the fact something thay allows people to get to a healthy weight and stay there, in a safe manner has been found has driven them insane.

40 percent of people comment is just embarrassing for her.

Then she’s a shit dietician if she thinks people should just have eaten properly in the first place and doesn’t understand obesity.

Masking cancer doesn’t mean the same as causing. She could just mean that the symptoms of her cancer (sudden weight loss, digestive issues etc) could have been mistaken for the MJ.

That doesn’t mean something is wrong with WLI it just means that people can mistake symptoms for side effects.

The majority of non-assisted diets wouldn’t cause seemingly unexplained / sudden weight loss in the way that cancer and WLI do. Normal diets don’t see people dropping as much weight in short periods of time.

Dietitian = registered healthcare practitioner with a 4 year degree in dietetics and nutrition and 1000 hours of hospital placement.

Nutritionist = anyone who says they’re a nutritionist.

One is a legal title the other is not.

Common side effects of WLI: light headedness, nausea, vomiting, changes in bowel habits, stomach pain, reduced appetite, fatigue.

Common symptoms of cancer: weight loss, fatigue, localised pain, changes in bowel habits.

Theres loads of crossovers

As there are for many many drugs, what’s your point? Ni one should take any medication ever in case it masks cancer?

She may well have that training, doesn’t change the idiocy of what she said and it is likely not something she’s trained in, wli.

Not at all, but the dietitian didn’t appear to say she shouldn’t have taken them? She just said they may have masked her cancer symptoms. We have to look at what she said not what OP inferred from what she said.

The gallbladder stat is nonsense though I agree.

The friend said the drug was masking the cancer. This is nonsense. The drug would not do that. Dieting may. Like any diet. As you need to diet on the drugs. They don’t magic fat off. However all any diet would do is mask unintentional weight loss, but nearly everyone on the drug knows how much they are eating, so unlikely to mask cancer related weight loss.

and she said 40 percent of people on them had their gall bladders removed, which us also nonsense.

so yes she is ignorant, ill informed and clearly has a personal issue.