Weight loss drugs may improve job prospects and dating odds for one group

A recent study suggests GLP-1-related weight loss may improve some women’s relationships and employment status.Rebecca Diamond, professor of economics at Harvard University in Boston, independently published research that found an association between weight-loss medications and a change in women’s social and economic outcomes.Diamond used the Understanding America Study, a panel survey from the University of Southern California, to compare women who started GLP-1s for weight loss to those who wanted to start but had not yet done so.The comparison considered body mass, health, income, employment, partnership status and well-being before treatment.The study focused on women because they are more likely to use GLP-1s than men.It excluded people taking GLP-1 drugs for diabetes, as their use is driven by a medical condition rather than weight loss demand.Women who successfully lost weight with GLP-1 medications experienced changes across several life outcomes, including employment, marriage and cohabitation, according to the study.Marriage and cohabitation rose 29% for single women after about 18 months.Among women who were not employed at the start of the study, job prospects increased by 27% after the same amount of time.

Those who were already employed did not display any clear upward progress in their careers, however.Diamond argues that these findings suggest part of the “female obesity penalty” comes from how people are judged when being matched up, either in a new relationship or a new job.Dr.Peter Balazs, a hormone and weight loss specialist from New York and New Jersey, commented on these findings.“The effects showed up during ‘new match’ situations, such as job interviews or dating and not within existing jobs or relationships,” Balazs, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

“This says more about societal bias than it does about the medication itself.”Balazs said his patients often report feeling more confide...