Obesity rate among US adults fell by 2023 as use of GLP-1 drugs increased

Obesity rates in the US fell last year for the first time in a decade, coinciding with the rise of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, a new study shows.

Data from nearly 17 million adults across the country shows that obesity rates — which have been rising for years — fell from 46.2% of adults in 2021 to 45.6% in 2023, Harvard University researchers report.

Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater.

At the same time, the use of GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Zepbound has increased dramatically, although the researchers said it is not possible to confirm a cause-and-effect relationship between the trends.

Still, they noted: “The most notable decline [in obesity] was located in the South, which had the highest observed release rate for GLP-1 drugs.

The study was led by Benjamin Rader, assistant professor of anesthesia at Harvard Medical School, and was published Dec. 13 in the journal JAMA Health Forum.

As Rader’s team noted, “The prevalence of obesity in the US has been increasing for decades. Some long-term forecasts estimate that this upward trajectory will continue, while others predict a plateau.”

However, the introduction of GLP-1 drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) to the market has been a perhaps unexpected new factor in recent years.

Sales of the injected drugs have skyrocketed and the weight loss results are often impressive. The drugs work by imitating a hormone in the intestine that, among other things, makes people feel full.

The new study tracked health insurance data from 2013 through 2023 for nearly 17 million adults, most of whom were between the ages of 26 and 75. The data included nearly 48 million BMI measurements, and a subset of participants were also tracked for their use of GLP measurements. 1 medicine.

The average BMI of adults in the United States showed a slow but steady increase from 2013 (29.65 BMI) to 2021 (30.23), before stabilizing in 2022 (30.24), the team said.

But in 2023, the average BMI fell to 30.21 – the first drop in a decade, according to Rader’s team. The percentage of obese Americans also fell slightly that year.

The research showed that the declines were strongest in the South and among the elderly (66 to 75 years). The obesity rate among women fell more sharply than among men.

It’s too early to credit GLP-1 drugs for the welcome drop in obesity rates. Rader’s team pointed out that the pandemic, especially in the South, may also have played a role, as COVID was more likely to be fatal for obese individuals.

Still, the overall news for American health is good.

“Although obesity remains a significant public health problem, the observed declines in obesity prevalence suggest an encouraging reversal from long-standing previous increases,” Rader and his team wrote.

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