With more than 127 million viewers and massive ad budgets, the Super Bowl is increasingly a forum for health messages. This year several companies used that spotlight to promote GLP-1 medications — semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) — drugs approved for type 2 diabetes and obesity that have sparked both medical interest and cultural debate.
Telehealth provider Ro ran a spot featuring Serena Williams intended to reduce stigma around using these therapies, while Hims & Hers focused on affordability and access, highlighting how income can shape who gets newer treatments and specialty care.
Why the ads matter
Experts say national ads can help normalize obesity as a medical condition and raise awareness that effective pharmacologic options exist. Ana Reisdorf, MS, a registered dietitian and founder of the GLP-1 Hub, called these drugs a major advance given the scope of obesity and metabolic disease. She noted Gallup data showing obesity rates fell from a record 39.9% in 2022 to 37.0% in 2025 and credited GLP-1 therapies in part for that improvement.
Reisdorf explained that GLP-1 medications act on appetite, blood sugar, and energy balance and can quiet the compulsive ‘food noise’ that undermines weight loss. She also cited benefits for heart health, insulin resistance, blood pressure, and cholesterol, describing the treatments as transformative in a field that has struggled for effective options.
Stigma, access, and equity
Despite benefits, stigma remains a powerful barrier. Timur Alptunaer, MD, of InHouse Wellness, said many people view taking medication for weight as a personal failure if diet and exercise don’t work — a damaging notion. He emphasized that obesity involves genetics, hormones, environment, and brain circuitry, and compared using obesity medication to taking insulin for diabetes or antihypertensives for high blood pressure.
High-profile advocates such as Serena Williams may help counter the idea that using these drugs is ‘cheating.’ If stigma keeps people from seeking care, treatments are delayed, outcomes worsen, and shame deepens.
Financial barriers also influence who benefits. Alptunaer observed that wealthier patients often have better access to specialty clinics, the latest drugs, and monitoring, producing better results than lower-income patients. He welcomed efforts by companies to expand affordability and access but called them only a partial solution. From a public-health perspective, broader access to effective obesity treatments could lower rates of diabetes and heart disease and reduce long-term healthcare spending.
The role of responsible advertising
Both experts said increased visibility can be positive if advertising is accurate and balanced. Reisdorf urged normalization of obesity and awareness of treatments but warned against ads that promise effortless results or gloss over side effects. Alptunaer stressed that messaging should emphasize medical oversight and realistic expectations; oversimplified claims or suggestions that supervision is unnecessary could be harmful.
When ads acknowledge benefits, risks, and the need for clinical care, they can empower patients, promote evidence-based treatment, and shift public perception of obesity from moral failing to treatable medical condition. Reduced stigma, improved affordability, and wider access could in turn improve patient-clinician conversations, prompt earlier interventions, and yield better outcomes.
Bottom line
Super Bowl GLP-1 ads give new obesity and metabolic treatments a vast audience. Experts say that visibility can normalize care and broaden access, but only if ads remain responsible, medically accurate, and clear about potential side effects and the necessity of clinical supervision. Done carefully, these campaigns could reshape both public dialogue and the care landscape around weight-loss medications.
