To the editor:
About “What a Year at Ozempic Taught Me” by Johan Hari (opinion guest essay, May 12):
Having worked as an internist for more than 40 years, I agree with Hari that current obesity patterns are caused by diets high in processed foods and low in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Masu. I also like the idea of treating obesity as a medical condition rather than a sign of moral failure or weakness.
Individuals can decide about Ozempic and similar drugs by considering the known benefits and risks, as well as the unknowns. These are not easy decisions, but I'm sure we'll learn more as time goes on.
What is not discussed in Hari's excellent paper is that the entire population, including those who are not overweight, needs to eat a balanced diet that mostly eliminates ultra-processed foods and is rich in fruits and vegetables. It has many proven benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes. Even if you don't lose an ounce, changing your diet in this direction can be beneficial.
The same goes for increasing physical activity, a proven health strategy.
Jonathan Freudman
San Rafael, California
To the editor:
Ultra-processed foods, it's all their fault! So why go to the supermarket and buy them? The food industry isn't forcing it.
I grew up in a family of six children in the 1960s and '70s, and my mother, who worked outside the home, cooked our lunches and dinners from scratch every day. I raised her four children the same way, with the help of her husband, from her 1980s to her 90s, as we both had careers.
No one in our family is obese. If it helps you take this medicine, so be it. But please stop complaining that it's the food industry's fault. Let's go to the kitchen and cook!
mary ann morrigeau
marseille, france
To the editor:
I read Johan Hari's guest essay on Ozempic. As someone who lost about 90 pounds without the help of weight loss drugs, I wholeheartedly agree with his opinion that weight is not a competition with other people, but rather with the food industry.
I struggled with diet and exercise all my life until I started getting serious about losing the weight I gained in 2019. I followed most of the fads like the keto diet, intermittent fasting, and making sure to get 10,000 steps every day, but the biggest hurdle was actually just having to wait it out on an empty stomach.
Ozempic and Wegovy have definitely helped me lose weight, and I don't begrudge people for being able to take them now when I couldn't in my weight loss journey. I ended up becoming a person who focused more on exercise. I attribute my ability to lose weight over the past few years to lifestyle changes.
I think these drugs are a great way to lose weight for those who can afford it, but without changing your lifestyle or diet, I'm wondering if these drugs only treat the symptoms rather than the root cause? I am worried.
I don't think weight loss pills are cheating, and I don't criticize people for using tools that aren't available to me. However, I am concerned that without continued use of these drugs, they will not lead to good long-term results.
evan bennett
atlanta
donald trump, husband
To the editor:
About “What Kind of Husband Acts Like Trump?” by Jessica Bennett (Opinion, May 10):
The answer to that question is that Donald Trump is not the only president accused of breaking marriage vows. Historians have identified several other presidents with alleged extramarital affairs.
The list includes Warren G. Harding, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. . There is also the case of Grover Cleveland, who admitted to having fathered a child out of wedlock before he was elected.
Your newspaper and most of the readers to whom the letter was published feel they have enough to criticize about Mr. Trump. But please leave him alone on this matter.
Diana Klebanow
queens
The author is a former adjunct professor of political science at Long Island University's Brooklyn campus.
To the editor:
Jessica Bennett asked about former President Donald Trump: “What could be more honorable than a husband going to great lengths to hide his infidelity?”
For those who may have missed the irony of Mr. Bennett's question, I offer the following answer. First, be faithful to your spouse.
eric orner
Tarrytown, New York
Republicans and Latino voters
To the editor:
Regarding “As a Trump fan, pastor hints at Latino shift” (front page of May 6th):
MAGA Republicans are cynically manipulating Latino voters. Their strategy is to emphasize commonalities on issues such as law and order, religion and family values, patriotism, and escape from oppression. Democrats urgently need to confront this false narrative.
The Republican Party, which brands many immigrants as criminals, is no friend of Latinos. Republicans who attack civil liberties like voting rights and reproductive freedom represent the same oppression that many Latinos fought so hard to escape in their homelands. Republican lawmakers who vote against affordable health care undermine Latino families.
The MAGA rebels who violently attacked police officers on January 6 are enemies of law and order. Republicans are not patriots. Donald Trump has no religious values at all.
Latino voters could decide the fate of our democracy. Democrats need to spend more time in the Latino church clearly explaining that voting for MAGA Republicans is a direct betrayal of God, country, and family.
Ken Hargis
Los Altos, California
A better alternative to animal-to-human transplantation
To the editor:
Regarding “Patient who received kidney transplant from pig dies” (news article of May 13th):
Richard Suleiman's death highlights the tragic need for better solutions to end-stage renal disease. More than 100,000 patients wait for an organ transplant each year in the United States. But animal-to-human transplantation, or xenotransplantation, causes more problems than it solves.
Transmission of viruses and other pathogens from pigs can be weakened through genetic engineering, special animal confinement procedures, and screening measures, but complete prevention cannot be guaranteed and the potential harm can be devastating. There is a possibility that
We are just beginning to address the risks that livestock farming poses to workers, consumers and the environment. We shouldn't create entirely new methods of large-scale animal production.
The clinical practice of xenotransplantation has been “just around the corner” for decades, but there is still little to show for it. Organ preservation, expanded donation criteria, living donation, opt-out policies, automated referrals, regenerative therapies, and improvements in disease prevention and control are all combining to significantly reduce organ waiting lists, if not eliminate them. may be reduced to
These safer, more specific ways to reduce the demand for organs and increase their supply could receive the same amount of attention and investment that has been given to xenotransplants.
Katherine E. Krebs
Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
The author is a medical research program manager at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.