GLP podcast: Processed food doesn’t speed aging; Ozempic may treat addiction; When science journals won’t retract junk research

Does processed food speed up the aging process? A recent study says yes, but we have our doubts. The blockbuster weight-loss drug Ozempic may also be an effective treatment for addiction. With so many fraudulent studies published in prestigious science journals, is it time to admit that peer-review has failed?

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Join hosts Dr. Liza Dunn and GLP contributor Cameron English on episode 294 of Science Facts and Fallacies as they break down these latest news stories:

• Does eating ultra-processed foods speed up aging?

It seems that processed food has been blamed for almost every health problem under the sun: obesity, cancer, diabetes and depression—to name just a few. Now, researchers are suggesting that eating highly processed food could actually accelerate the aging process. It’s a shocking result if it’s true. But in all likelihood, it’s more speculation than science.

• Addiction: Yet another health problem Ozempic and other weight loss drugs might help address

Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs are poised to make a sizeable dent in America’s obesity rate. As an unexpected side effect, these medications may also discourage drug and alcohol abuse in the same way they reduce overeating. How this happens remains uncertain for now, but one possibility is that Ozempic blunts the pleasurable response that usually comes with drug use, incentivizing people to use less of a substance or just quit entirely.

• Why ‘peer review’ is no longer the gold standard for quality, objective science research

The peer-review process is supposed to keep low-quality and fraudulent research out of academic journals. But what happens when peer-review fails? One scientist has identified multiple cases of major science publications not only publishing fundamentally flawed studies but refusing to retract them because it would have unpopular political consequences. What do we do when peer-reviewed journals promote ideology at the expense of science?

Dr. Liza Dunn is a medical toxicologist and the medical affairs lead at Bayer Crop Science. Follow her on X @DrLizaMD

Cameron J. English is the director of bio-sciences at the American Council on Science and Health. Visit his website and follow him on X @camjenglish