Professor Sophie Scott CBE, the director of the Institute for Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London (UCL), has spent her career studying the inner workings of the human mind. Yet, despite her profound expertise, she found herself vulnerable to the same biological urges as anyone else: persistent cravings and a rising weight that eventually peaked at over 17 stone. In October 2024, she turned to the weight-loss injection Mounjaro, a decision that has not only transformed her body but also provided a unique scientific insight into the phenomenon known as "food noise."
The injections helped Professor Scott lose a total of 6 stone 4 pounds.
Before starting the treatment, Scott struggled with a family history of obesity and an appetite that felt impossible to satiate. She describes "food noise" as the constant, distracting thoughts about what is in the fridge or what the next meal will be. While her professional background allowed her to understand the hormones produced in the gut that signal hunger and fullness, she was still at the mercy of those signals. The GLP-1 mimicking drug Mounjaro essentially "unhinged" her brain from these constant gut signals, granting her what she describes as a newfound "brain space."
The shift in her dietary preferences was almost immediate and highly cognitive in nature. Professor Scott, a vegetarian since 1984, found that her cravings for carb-heavy, soft foods like bread and marmite evaporated. Instead, she developed an obsession with crunchy, light textures, such as rice cakes and fresh vegetables. She noted that ultra-processed foods, including biscuits and crisps, lost their appeal entirely. This change occurred before any significant weight loss, suggesting the drug had a rapid impact on her perception of food.
Physical improvements have accompanied her mental clarity.
She can now walk for miles without the fatigue that once plagued her and has noticed that her feet have actually become smaller. Finding clothes on the high street is no longer a struggle, and her morning jogs are faster and more effective. Scott mentioned that being overweight previously felt like having the "brakes" on her ability to exercise, but she can now push her heart rate higher and achieve more intense workouts.
Professor Scott is now an advocate for reducing the barriers to accessing these medications. She currently procures her prescriptions privately and has noted a significant price increase since 2024. She argues that the NHS should consider a wider cost-benefit analysis, as offering these jabs earlier could prevent long-term conditions like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. For Scott, the drugs have provided the appetite of a thinner person, and she plans to continue microdosing to maintain her results and keep the "food noise" at bay.
