Most of us have been there — feeling our jeans get tighter, watching the numbers on the scale creep up, declaring that this time we're going to lose the weight and keep it off.

For a lot of people, though, it seems like no matter what they do — how many diets they try, calories they count, or hours they spend at the gym — losing weight isn't just hard; it feels downright impossible. Two in five American adults are obese, and the numbers keep rising. It's been called a public health crisis, especially since obesity can lead to a number of other health issues, like heart disease and diabetes.

But scientists are learning more about how fat cells function — and how they affect the rest of the body. And new injectable weight loss drugs are giving many people renewed hope.

On this episode, we explore this new science, and how these solutions are — or aren't — working on the ground. A researcher explains what happens on a cellular level when we gain weight, a pediatrician hunts for solutions to help her young patients, and we'll learn about the practical challenges surrounding drugs like Ozempic.

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