Oprah Winfrey has stated that an "obesity gene" contributed to her struggles with overeating and "food noise," crediting GLP-1 medications with helping her manage her weight. Winfrey, 72, revealed during a recent appearance on The View that she has lost 80 pounds since beginning weight loss injections in December 2023.
She explained that for years, she attributed her eating habits and weight fluctuations to personal failing. "Now I understand that if you carry the obesity gene, that is what makes you overeat," Winfrey said. "You don't overeat and become obese, obesity causes you to overeat."
According to Winfrey, GLP-1 medications have helped "quiet that noise" by addressing the underlying biological factors associated with obesity. "What GLP-1s have done for me and a number of other people is quiet that noise," she stated.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that while "no single genetic cause has been identified" for obesity, genome-wide association studies since 2006 have found over 50 genes associated with the condition, though most have small effects. The CDC suggests that obesity is typically multifactorial, resulting from complex interactions between multiple genes and environmental factors.
Winfrey has been open about her long-standing challenges with weight management throughout her career. Her struggles began in 1976, when she reported experiencing emotional eating and significant weight gain. By 1988, she publicly shared a 67-pound weight loss achieved through an all-liquid diet, though she later revealed this involved severe calorie restriction that negatively impacted her metabolism.
By the early 1990s, Winfrey reached her heaviest weight of 237 pounds. She has since documented periods of weight loss and gain, including a 40-pound loss in conjunction with Weight Watchers starting in 2015. In December 2023, she confirmed she was using a weight loss injection to manage her weight, emphasizing the relief and validation of having a medically approved option.
"The fact that there's a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for," Winfrey said. She also noted that she incorporates regular exercise, such as hiking, into her routine. Mia Image: