Prognosis
Weight-Loss Drug Craze Appears to Be Curbing US Obesity Epidemic
Obesity is down in the US for the first time in a decade. A new study suggests weight-loss drugs may explain why.
This article is for subscribers only.
For the first time in a decade, obesity in the US is declining — and a new study suggests it’s because of wildly popular medications such as Ozempic.
The number of obese Americans has been steadily climbing for years, and the country’s average body mass index, or BMI, has been creeping up along with it. But in 2023, something changed: Obesity levels fell to 43.96% from 44.1% the year prior. It’s a small decline, but a meaningful one, researchers say. The biggest change occurred in the South, according to the analysis, which also had the highest concentration of prescriptions written for the drugs.