Ozempic nation: Americas GLP-1 use nearly quadruples in just two years

America is slimming down — one shot at a time.The number of US adults turning to blockbuster GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss has hit a record high, nearly quadrupling in just two years.Now, the shift is showing up on the scale, with national obesity rates edging lower after years of steady increases.The eye-popping figures come from a new Gallup survey of 5,065 adults nationwide conducted between May 28 and June 5.The pollster found that 11% of Americans ages 18 and older are currently taking GLP-1s for weight loss, up from just 3% who reported using them in 2024.The reach of the medications is even wider: 15% of respondents said they have used the next-generation diabetes and obesity drugs to shed pounds at some point — a nine-percentage-point increase in just two years.The surge in GLP-1 use coincides with a downturn in the nation’s obesity crisis.

After peaking at a record 39.9% in 2022, the adult obesity rate has gradually fallen to 36.4% in 2026.Meanwhile, the national diabetes rate has held steady after climbing steadily for 15 years.GLP-1s — short for glucagon-like peptide-1 drugs — work by mimicking hormones naturally released by the gut after eating to help regulate blood sugar, appetite and digestion.The first drug in this class of medications was approved more than two decades ago to treat type 2 diabetes, but GLP-1s didn’t explode in popularity until 2021.That year, the Food and Drug Administration greenlit Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide-based drug Wegovy as an obesity treatment after clinical trials showed users lost an average of 15% of their body weight over 16 months.Before that approval, semaglutide was used primarily for blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes under the brand name Ozempic.In the years since, the market has expanded with new players, including Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide-based Zepbound for weight loss and Mounjaro for diabetes.Today, name-brand GLP-1s are far more commonly used than compounded...