Functional medicine practitioner Dr. Will Cole told Fox News Digital in comments reported by AOL that GLP-1 medications hold real therapeutic promise but that shutting down hunger cues with what he called an "atomic bomb" peptide dose is not the answer to poor metabolic health.

GLP-1s are the drug class that includes semaglutide and tirzepatide, peptide-based compounds that mimic a gut hormone regulating appetite and blood sugar. Cole, co-author of the forthcoming book "Heal Your Cells," describes peptides more broadly as messengers that "help with cellular communication," and says the interesting question is no longer weight loss but longevity and cellular repair.

The number he keeps returning to

Citing previous research, Cole said an estimated 93% of U.S. adults are metabolically unhealthy, leaving roughly 7% meeting the criteria for optimal metabolic health. He called the figure "wild," and added a line worth keeping: "That's common, but not normal."

He does not read that as a case for more medication. Cole pointed to ultraprocessed diets, nutrient deficiencies, environmental toxins, stress and trauma, saying the rise in chronic problems reflects those factors and "not a pharmaceutical deficiency."

The dosing question nobody answers

Cole said he does not believe "macro-dosing" GLP-1s "forever and ever in perpetuity" is the solution, and floated micro-dosing, cyclical use and pairing with lifestyle change as the middle ground he would prefer to see studied. That is a hypothesis, not a protocol, and he framed it as one.

His other concern is less discussed. GLP-1s reduce what users call food noise, and Cole said he would like research on whether suppressing the desire for food also blunts reward-related behaviors like love and relationships. "Are we circumventing pathways and pathologizing things that don't have to be pathologized?" he asked. He also said he believes overreliance on the drugs may contribute to disordered eating patterns and a fear of hunger.

Where the evidence stops

None of this is a study. It is one clinician's read, and the research he wants on reward pathways and low-dose cycling does not appear to exist yet. Cole says he supports wider peptide access alongside transparency, purity and clear labeling, and that he is most excited about inflammation and longevity peptides. That is exactly the corner of the field with the least human data behind it.