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IF YOU WATCHED the Super Bowl last night, you were in for a treat. The Seattle Seahawks dominated Super Bowl LX with an impressive show of defense against the New England Patriots. Green Day and Bad Bunny rocked out the stage, with the latter sharing a powerful message of unity. And, of course, the Super Bowl isn’t complete without its commercials.
A clear sign of the cultural moment we’re in, there were a handful of health and longevity ads from GLP-1 companies, telehealth companies, and, yes, even the Make America Healthy Again movement. Some were smart, others made claims that raised some eyebrows. We asked experts to weigh in about what these commercials got right and wrong about our health.
That Mike Tyson “Eat Real Food” Commercial
Former professional boxer Mike Tyson starred in a black-and-white video paid by the MAHA Center, an advocacy group from one of Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s allies, Tony Lyons. Tyson says his 25-year-old sister died from a heart attack that he attributes to obesity. He also called himself “fat and nasty” and that he used to “eat a quart of ice cream every hour.” He admits that he used to hate himself as he takes a bite into an apple before bluntly saying America has the “most obese, fudgey people” before laughing at the camera. The screen then flashes to popular MAHA slogans such as “processed foods kill” and “eat real food” before giving the name of a government website for more information.
“I think the Tyson ad is great, making people aware of the problems of too much processed foods,” says Mir Ali, MD, bariatric medicine specialist, bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center.
On the other hand, MH’s nutrition advisor, Abby Langer, RD, had one word to describe the ad: Yikes. She says the ad was littered with statements that fat shamed while patting MAHA on the back. “As usual, completely ignoring the social determinants of health and all of the negative changes that the government has made since they took power, like cutting SNAP benefits.”
Dezi Abeyta, RDN, another MH nutrition advisor, says he’s all for the real food message. “Everyone could benefit from eating ‘closer to the ground.’” But he agrees with Langer that the message is tone-deaf about access to these whole-food options.
“It’s far more about access than it is about discipline. Processed food, for many, is the only option,” he says. “Before we villainize what people are eating, let’s ask what’s available in their zip code and how mental health support could be more of a solution than a shame spiral.” He adds that a line about therapy might’ve also landed harder in conveying the overall message than championship punches.
All Those GLP-1 Ads
Almost all the major players in the GLP-1 space aired commercials on game day. Telehealth company Ro featured tennis star Serena Williams who discussed how she lost 34-pounds after a year of taking a GLP-1 that she received from the platform. She also noted that her heart disease and cholesterol risk have gone down after a year of being on the medication. Novo Nordisk partnered with DJ Khaled and SNL comedian Kenan Thompson to advertise the Wegovy pill that was FDA-approved in January. Him & Hers also spotlighted its access to GLP-1s in the “Rich People Live Longer” ad (more on that below).
Abeyta says the move to an oral GLP-1 feels like a major shift for accessibility. Still, he wants people to know GLP-1s aren’t a magic pill. “Without a high-protein diet, strength training, and mental health support, the weight you lose might not be the kind you want to lose. These meds can work, but not in a vacuum. A nod to RDs, therapists, and the actual lifestyle work would’ve made this magic pill, a magic stack.”
Robert Glatter, MD, an assistant professor of emergency medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital and MH advisor, finds that these ads fail to emphasize the downside of these drugs. “The issue is that such medications need to be taken for long periods of time and lead to loss of muscle mass if one is not staying active,” he explains. “Their side effect profile is significant and many people stop taking GLP-1s due to intolerance.”
“The Thompson ad makes people aware of the pill option for semaglutide, though it doesn’t address that the pill is less effective than the injections and insurance coverage is uncertain at this point,” adds Dr. Ali.
The Him & Hers Longevity Commercial
Narrated by rapper and actor Common, the Hims & Hers longevity ad makes a bold statement: rich people live longer. It showcases a montage of affluent people getting a series of anti-aging and preventative care treatments, as well as custom-formulated peptides and specialists on call. The advertisement says “all that money doesn’t just buy more stuff, it buys more time.” In an effort to close the wealth/health gap, the company introduces their services from GLP-1 and hormone therapy access to diagnostic testing.
The most eyebrow-raising reference, however, is access to the Galleri blood test to detect cancer. Men’s Health recently reported on the false positives with cancer-detecting blood tests. The Galleri blood test is currently not FDA-approved and Dr. Glatter warns people should not use it as a replacement for standard cancer screening.
“The Galleri blood test has modest overall sensitivity or screening ability of 51 to 66 percent for cancer detection, with its performance highly dependent on cancer stage,” explains Dr. Glatter. “The test’s low sensitivity (screening ability) for early-stage disease means it will miss many cancers, particularly those most amenable to curative treatment.”
Outside of this hit-or-miss Galleri test, Langer has thoughts on the ad overall: “The Hims ad is another example of this company yet again stepping on its dick with a Super Bowl ad that promotes private services in a country where so many people can’t even access basic care.”
William Shatner’s Raisin Bran Commercial
Ninety-four-year-old William Shatner returned to TV. This time not as Captain Kirk, but his new persona William Shat. The Star Trek actor starred in a Kellogg’s ad to discuss how most Americans don’t get enough fiber. In the commercial, he throws Raisin Bran to people who are more or less stunned to see him. The emphasis on fiber is a clever strategy that capitalizes on the fibermaxxing trend.
“Most fiber-enriched products use functional fibers like inulin, polydextrose, modified wheat starch, and psyllium to bump up their fiber content,” says Langer in a recent piece on whether all fiber is created equal. “If you enjoy (and tolerate) fiber-enriched products, use them as a ‘top-up’ for your fiber intake, rather than making them your main source. Instead of focusing on fiber grams, try to focus on adding more whole, naturally fiber-rich foods into your diet.”
In the story, she also adds that “ultra-processed foods are still ultra-processed, and the addition of fiber doesn’t put them on equal nutritional ground as whole foods.”
Sophia Vergara and Octavia Spencer on the uACR Test
In a Boehringer Ingelheim ad, the actresses are on a mission to help “people who may miss a warning signal from their body.” They stand in front of a screen discussing the SOS signals that could stem from the kidneys that could also uncover hidden risks for heart attack or stroke. The commercial ends by telling the viewer to join their mission of spreading awareness by asking doctors about the urine albumin to creatinine ratio (uACR) test.
Brad Rovin, MD, chief of nephrology at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, says he orders uACR testing very frequently. “Abnormal uACR values suggest patients with chronic kidney disease are at risk of progressive decline of kidney function, and also indicate that patients may be at risk for cardiovascular complications.”
He adds that simple screening tests like the uACR are especially helpful in high-risk individuals. “Targeting two of the most common diseases in the population, type 2 diabetes and hypertension and helping people understand that too much albumin in the urine may portend kidney and cardiovascular complications is certainly appropriate,” he says. “Choosing the Super Bowl and very well-known actors will reach a large number of affected individuals, so this will be potentially of significant benefit.”
Novartis’s PSA Blood Test Commercial
Have you ever seen a tight end so relaxed? The commercial pans out to half-dozen tight ends relaxing in a pool, doing yoga, or resting peacefully on hammocks. The commercial then asks why every tight end is relaxed—because their actual behind is safe thanks to prostate cancer screening. Specifically, the ad pushes the prostate-specific antigen test, a finger-free blood test. Super Bowl-winning coach and prostate cancer survivor Bruce Arians appears discussing how 1 in 8 men will develop prostate cancer before relaying how he caught it early. Rob Gronkowski, stroking a horse, then says to “relax your tight end” before showing how his butt unclenches.
Garrett Pohlman, MD, a urologist and host of The Prostate Health Podcast, told MH in a previous story how the PSA acts as a “check engine light” for the prostate. However, it only tells you that PSA levels are elevated, not exactly what’s happening with the prostate. Richard Levin, MD, a urologist and vice chief of staff of the medical executive committee at HCA Florida Aventura Hospital, also said in the same story that an elevated PSA blood test indicates some abnormality. While the most concerning is prostate cancer, it doesn’t always mean cancer.
What These Health Ads Really Mean
The U.S. has a culture of being a reactive healthcare system, says Dr. Rovin. This means seeking solutions when problems are too often advanced, expensive, or too late to treat. “Featuring health care on a big stage like the Super Bowl may be a way to change the narrative and push us to be more proactive and responsible for our health care.”
Dr. Glatter says the plethora of ads are speaking to the increasing popularity of the longevity movement. The issue that continues to occur, however, is the focus on products promising to extend lifespan rather than looking at what already is known to work—avoiding smoking and ultra-processed foods, engaging in healthy relationships, eating whole foods and grains, lean meats and fish—to improve the quality of one’s life.
“This is the world we live in now. Ignore the real issues while promoting products and services and government initiatives that literally make no difference to the people who really need help with their health,” Langer says.
Abeyta is more optimistic, viewing this as a cultural moment where people take back their health. “That’s a win. But the challenge now is depth,” he says. “If we’re going to push that conversation forward, the message needs to be about systems and support, rather than products or brands. Call out the quiet parts of systemic barriers to cultural and health literacy. That’s what moves the needle.”
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