This gets cited here weekly, usually second-hand, so it is worth setting out what it does and does not establish.
Food noise is the best term this community has produced and it describes something the trials did not measure well: the constant background computation about food that most people with obesity live with and most people without it do not believe exists. GLP-1 agonism reduces the salience of food cues in the reward pathway rather than simply reducing hunger, which is why the reported experience is silence rather than willpower. It is also why its return on dose reduction is the first thing people notice, well before the weight moves.
Where I think it is weakest: the completion rate deserves as much attention as the headline, because a large effect among those who finished is a different claim from a large effect among those enrolled.
The narrow version of the question is whether the quiet is the same mechanism as the appetite suppression or a separate one, because they seem to come and go on different schedules. Tell me what I have not thought of.
Figures above are from the primary publication rather than the press summary. If a number here disagrees with one you have, post yours and we will work out which of us is reading a secondary source.
SkepticalSean said:Food noise is the best term this community has produced and it describes something the trials did not measure well: the constant background…
Phantom hunger vs real hunger on food noise: learning to distinguish between the two has been a revelation. Real hunger: gradual onset, physical stomach sensation, any food sounds good. Phantom hunger: sudden, emotionally triggered, specific food cravings, occurs right after eating.
The GLP-1 agonist suppresses real hunger beautifully. Phantom hunger still pops up but I can now recognize it for what it is — an emotional signal, not a physical need. Mindfulness training helped enormously with this distinction.
SkepticalSean said:Food noise is the best term this community has produced and it describes something the trials did not measure well: the constant background…
"Food aversion" side effect of food noise that I wasn't prepared for: I used to LOVE cooking and trying new restaurants. Now certain foods — especially red meat — literally repulse me.
It's not just reduced appetite; it's an active disgust response. My therapist says this is common and likely related to the reward pathway modulation. It's mostly a positive change, but I do miss enjoying food the way I used to.
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Shop Reference StandardsPurityPaulOR said:"Food aversion" side effect of food noise that I wasn't prepared for: I used to LOVE cooking and trying new restaurants.
Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 2 glasses of wine most nights. Since starting GLP-1 therapy, I have zero interest in alcohol. Haven't had a drink in 6 months.
The "food noise" reduction seems to extend to other reward-seeking behaviors, including alcohol. My liver enzymes have improved, my sleep is better, and I've saved roughly $240/month on alcohol. Triple win.
JennaRN said:Phantom hunger vs real hunger on food noise: learning to distinguish between the two has been a revelation.
Adding a me-too, because a thread of one person's experience is not much use.