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It’s Men’s Health Week at Playboy and we’re exploring the increasingly DIY state of men’s healthcare. From the peptides ruling Hollywood to the Reddit forums replacing doctors, men are taking their health into their own hands. Here’s what you need to know.
Harvey Kanter, CEO of Destination XL, has been dealing with an extra-large problem. Sales at America’s largest big and tall menswear retailer have reportedly dropped by 6 percent in the last year. It’s not down to dodgy supply chains, social media cancellation or Trump’s jacked-up tariffs. The cause is so-very 2026: GLP-1 drugs. “We think 25 percent of our customers are using them,” Kanter told investors in a March earnings call. “We are definitely also seeing some customers size out of our size […] there’s a lot of volatility.”
“Glucagon-like peptides,” if we’re getting formal, are everywhere. Unless you’ve been living under a monolithic boulder, you’ll be very aware of this. One in eight American adults have used them, creeping towards the amount (one in six) that have ever been prescribed antidepressants. Ozempic and Wegovy have become household names and medicine cabinet staples –– but even semaglutide, the GLP-1 receptor agonist that both contain, has entered everyday lexicon. Mounjaro, Eli Lilly’s self-injectable pen containing tirzepatide, has become the world’s best-selling drug, turning over a stomach-churning $8.7 billion. Big Pharma is making Big Money by making you The Biggest Loser.
Marketing of GLP-1s has always been laser-focused towards the female market, a demographic that has faced aggressive huckstering of fad diets and weight-loss treatments since time immemorial. Over 95 percent of gendered ads for GLP-1s on Instagram are geared towards women. And the bulk of prescriptions in the UK, around 80 percent, are currently dispensed to female patients.
But the male market is ballooning rapidly; around 10 percent of US adult men use GLP-1 drugs, up from 4 percent in 2024 (the average age falls between 52 and 62). The draw is the same, regardless of gender: GLP-1s are, as slick telehealth ads like to remind us, a powerful weight loss drug. Sure, we have heard this all before (to quote DJ Khaled, Wegovy ambassador: another one?) “For years, infomercials and supplement store shelves have been chock full of ‘miracle’ weight-loss pills & products. They never worked, and if they did, they had such severe side effects that the FDA had to step in,” says Dr. Mike Varshavski, AKA Doctor Mike, the most followed doctor on social media.
But GLP-1s, on the other hand, show real result; while outcomes vary, Mounjaro (also sold as Zepbound) has been shown to average 15 percent to 22.5 percent weight loss. Serendipitously, these apparent panaceas can also lower the rise of heart disease, kidney disease and liver inflammation; potentially increase cognitive function; and ease osteoarthritis. In other words, GLP-1s are legit—unlike those supplements and other “miracle” products.
“We have a medication that has a far better-studied and more regulated safety profile than supplements and not only helps with weight loss but also with the management of several key chronic diseases plaguing the world,” says Doctor Mike.
For men like Patrick, these drugs have changed their bodies, but also their habits.
“I don’t want the things I would normally want, like a couple of cookies at night or a Pepsi,” says Patrick, a construction manager from Illinois in his fifties, who has been on Ozempic since August 2024 after his doctor suggested he use it to control his diabetes. He requested we only use his first name for privacy. “Once I started the medication, I would tell my wife [in the car], I want to stop and get something to eat, but within three minutes [of having that craving] I didn’t want it anymore, so I didn’t stop.”
Patrick, once 450 pounds, has gone from 367 pounds when he started the drug to 239 pounds in under two years (Unfortunately for DXL, his wallet has tightened as his waistband has loosened. “I used to be a frequent shopper at DXL. I have not been there for probably a year and a half. I can go to a normal store to buy clothes now, which is fantastic.”) Ozempic has also empowered him to head to the gym; since October 2025, he’s been working out five days a week for the first time in his life. “I love it.”
Matthew, a 35-year-old IT engineer from Missouri, began tirzepatide in October last year and has dropped from 336 pounds to 262 pounds, getting back into powerlifting. “I no longer was like, I’m bored, I should eat, so that was a great feeling.”
It makes sense, then, that other men would want to get on board. “Men are not immune to the challenges of maintaining body weight and so naturally will use the medication to their advantage if they qualify and it suits them,” says Ian Marber, nutrition therapist and author of The GLP-1 Handbook. But the male market faced a key pain point –– the idea that taking medication to lose weight is cheating. “As far as perception is concerned, there is still the notion that taking a medication is cheating […] male bodies and muscles are treated like status symbols, an outward sign of your masculinity and dedication to hard work and success,” Marber continues. According to 2015 data, 74 percent of women dieted versus 48 percent of men; while GLP-1s offer a medical alternative to simply eating less, there’s always been resistance to tackling weight loss aside from exercising more.
These goalposts, though, are shifting; the stigma is fading for men using GLP-1s. Word-of-mouth has led to a domino effect. “From my results alone, [my friends] are warming up to the idea that they could get the same results,” says Matthew. “Why would they not want to take a GLP-1?” But the perfect storm of popularity has also been precipitated by a move away from the body positive movement over the last few years. The number of plus-size female influencers and models has been dwindling for years, and now the equivalent sphere of influence for men is spiraling. According to Vogue Business, just 0.2 per cent of the 2,523 looks across Milan and Paris’ menswear weeks in early 2026 was shown on plus-size male models and just 1.2 per cent was shown on mid-size male models (compared to 0.3 per cent and 2.1 per cent respectively for Women’s Fashion Weeks).
In this sense, GLP-1s have become another tool in your arsenal (along with that bone-smashing hammer) to looksmaxx. Fueled by narcissistic charlatans like Clavicular, men are under more pressure than ever to make themselves adonic. “Social media has historically and disproportionately impacted women and girls more when it comes to body-image distortions. But now, men are leveling that playing field,” says Doctor Mike. According to OUT magazine, men in the LGBTQ+ community are feeling especially affected by the rise of diet drugs.
GLP-1s, then, might dial down the “food noise,” but they leech off the “feed noise” that blares from our phones. “Social media is flooded with all sorts of strategies to improve mens’ physiques and it’s often presented as a shortcut to combat loneliness or the unfairness they feel in everyday life,” says Doctor Mike. “When your feed is everybody in shape you start to think, well, I should be in shape,” Matthew says.
It’s why some men who aren’t morbidly obese are using peptides. Sometimes, it’s a case of an unhealthy relationship with body image. “The more casual use of GLP-1’s does get me concerned, this “non-doctor prescribed, just lose a few pounds to look better” strategy comes with risks,” says Doctor Mike. Male eating disorders have skyrocketed in recent years and GLP-1s are a socially-acceptable way to get even thinner.
On the flipside, gym bros are microdosing them to potentially improve VO2 max, sustain energy and boost testosterone levels. In changing rooms across the US, peptide talk has replaced pep talks. But there are some potential pitfalls to taking GLP-1s if they’re not totally necessary. They actually lead to muscle loss, not gain. “Loss of muscle mass from rapid weight loss is not unheard of,” says Doctor Mike. While some men might be able to mitigate this through working out more — Matthew, for example, takes testosterone and undergoes resistance training — those less in know may risk losing their guns.
Or, their locks. “I lost a bunch of hair,” says Patrick. “I really don’t care, but I didn’t want to be going bald.” Patrick also says he feels different. “I can’t pinpoint what it is. Since I’ve been on this drug, I went to a psychiatrist and was diagnosed with anxiety.” Patrick is clear that this may have stemmed from before starting Ozempic, but he still has an unshakeable feeling that something has changed. “It’s definitely affected me mentally a little bit.” Matthew says he sometimes feels spaced out. “I am less expressive. My wife will occasionally check me and I’m staring at a wall and she’s like, what are you doing? And I’m like, there’s nothing going on right now in my head.”
Then, there’s sex stuff. Unlike the little blue pill, the little blue pen doesn’t necessarily complement the bedroom. The jury’s out on exactly how GLP-1s affect sex: “Sexual side effects have been reported in some studies, but sexual improvements have also been noted in others so there has been no clear causative pathway elucidated here,” says Doctor Mike. Patrick hasn’t noticed it being much of an issue, saying he still takes a BlueChew now and then to enhance his erections. But there’s at least a risk of lower libido and erectile dysfunction that’s worth keeping in mind, before you start jabbing yourself once a week.
Ultimately, whether GLP-1s are right or not has to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. And there’s no one-size-fits-all drug, either, due to all our receptors reacting differently. “There is no “best GLP-1 for men.” There is the best medication for each specific man,” says Doctor Mike.
Round the corner, though, is experimental glucagon agonist retatrutide – a beefed-up “Triple G” developed by Eli Lilly that has demonstrated unprecedented weight loss. Matthew has already been using it, switching onto it after hearing that it reduces “food noise” in a more balanced way. Because it’s not yet legal, he now sources it from a research chemicals site and tests it to ensure its purity. “In the world of lifting, it’s already talked about by everybody. You don’t even hear about semaglutide and tirzepatide anymore.” At the rate that it’s set to run when it likely hits the US market in 2027, expect it to move the GLP-1 needle towards men even further.