New study finds first US obesity decline in 10 years. Is Ozempic a leading factor?
For the first time in a decade, adult obesity in the United States dropped last year, a new study has found, and researchers are curious how the rise in popularity of weight loss drugs like Ozempic may have played a role.
Published in JAMA Health Forum on Friday, the study, "Changes in Adult Obesity Trends in the US," found that between 2022 and 2023, obesity in American adults between ages 26-75 dropped about 0.15%.
"On the percentage level, the decrease appears quite small ... but when you actually look at the population, what that translates to is hundreds of thousands of people who were in an obese category and are no longer in that category," study author Benjamin Rader, scientific director at Boston Children's Hospital, told USA TODAY. "The population impact, we think, is quite big."
Before 2023, between 2013-2022, obesity numbers were on an uphill climb. But they plateaued in 2022 before taking a slight turn south.
John Brownstein, chief innovation officer at Boston Children's Hospital, who also contributed to the study, said the greatest decrease was among Black women ages 66-75. This tracks with national trends, he added.
The Intake Resource Center found in a survey of 1,000 Americans last year that 39% of women asked their medical practitioners to be prescribed Ozempic, compared to 23% of men. And another study published by market researcher CivicScience last year found that Black Americans are most likely − at 26% − to take Ozempic or another weight loss drug.
The study also found that the largest decrease of obesity occurred in the South. This corresponds with CivicScience's study, too. The top five states with the most online searches for Ozempic were Louisiana, Tennessee, West Virginia, Florida and Mississippi, CivicScience published.
How was the study conducted?
Researchers surveyed nearly 17 million American adults ages 26-75, with about 51% being female and 48% male, according to the study. Rader said the research team partnered with Optum, a clinical data aggregator, to collect body mass index (BMI) information from electronic medical records, such as doctors' notes and lab reports, and insurance claim data. The researchers analyzed BMI data collected between 2013 and 2023.
What other factors could have contributed to the obesity decline?
Brownstein said there's no way of knowing, right now, the exact cause for the dip in obesity, but weight loss drugs like Ozempic are likely a leading factor. Other contributing factors may include better access to healthcare and new food and drug guidelines, he added.
Obesity remains a prevalent disease
Despite results from the recent study, obesity remain prevalent in the U.S.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2023, more than one in three adults had obesity. For perspective, before 2013, no state had an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35%. Today, at least 20% of adults in each state live with obesity.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic, the household name for semaglutide, is a prescription medicine used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity in adults. It can be taken by injection or orally.
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Adult obesity dropped for the first time in 10 years, study reports
