How the government, particularly the IRS, looks at exercise and diet versus weight loss drugs and other pharmaceuticals is discussed in this episode with Calley Means and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Here is part of an official statement from the Internal Revenue Service website:

WASHINGTON — Amid concerns about people being misled, the Internal Revenue Service recently reminded taxpayers and heath spending plan administrators that personal expenses for general health and wellness are not considered medical expenses under the tax law.

This means personal expenses are not deductible or reimbursable under health flexible spending arrangements, health savings accounts, health reimbursement arrangements or medical savings accounts FSAs, HSAs, HRAs, and MSAs.

This reminder is important because some companies are misrepresenting the circumstances under which food and wellness expenses can be paid or reimbursed under FSAs and other health spending plans.

Some companies mistakenly claim that notes from doctors based merely on self-reported health information can convert non-medical food, wellness and exercise expenses into medical expenses, but this documentation actually doesn’t. Such a note would not establish that an otherwise personal expense satisfies the requirement that it be related to a targeted diagnosis-specific activity or treatment; these types of personal expenses do not qualify as medical expenses.

Full statement: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-alert-beware-of-companies-misrepresenting-nutrition-wellness-and-general-health-expenses-as-medical-care-for-fsas-hsas-hras-and-msas