GLP-1s, or glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist drugs, are seemingly everywhere. In recent years, this class of weight-loss and Type 2 diabetes medication has become not only a household name but inescapable. Shortages have dominated news headlines, and singsong commercials have taken over airwaves. GLP-1s have gone so far as to disrupt the food, clothing, and, of course, weight-loss industries.
Yet despite the ubiquitousness of injectable drugs indicated for people with obesity—such as Wegovy (semaglutide), Zepbound (tirzepatide), and Saxenda (liraglutide)—most Americans wouldn’t take them, according to a new survey.
The nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine teamed up with business intelligence firm Morning Consult to survey more than 2,200 U.S. adults about weight-loss methods. Results of the poll, conducted in September, were released Oct. 8.
People were asked to rate their level of agreement with this statement: “If I wanted to lose weight, I would rather take an injectable weight-loss drug, rather than make a diet change.” More than half (62%) disagreed, with 14% reporting the statement didn’t apply to them because they don’t need to lose weight. Nearly three-fourths (73%) of applicable respondents disagreed.
Among people who were interested in weight loss, these groups most strongly disagreed:
- Men: 75%
- Baby boomers: 78%
- Asian or “other”: 77%
- Postgraduate-degree holders: 79%
- Household income exceeds $100K: 78%
- Urban dwellers: 75%
- Northeasterners: 77%
- Registered voters: 73%
- Independent voters: 74%
“The new findings do not mean that Americans do not want to lose weight,” PCRM president Dr. Neal Barnard said in a news release about the survey. “Rather, most would prefer to change their eating habits than inject a medication.”
While the results offer a snapshot of public opinion, the question doesn’t capture the nuances of healthy weight loss. A calorie deficit is a critical component of weight loss but ultimately just one piece of the puzzle. Genes, sleep, stress, hormones, physical activity, and certain medications can impact weight management. Your medical history also plays a role. What’s more, GLP-1s approved for people with obesity are intended for patients who’ve had difficulty losing weight by other means, and designed to be taken in conjunction with diet and exercise.
Dr. Nisha Patel, medical director of the Obesity Medicine and Metabolic Health Program within the transplant department at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, is working to dispel the myth that taking weight-loss medication is the easy way out.
“People forget that there are some strong neurohormonal factors at play that make it difficult to not only lose weight, but to keep that weight off in the long term,” Patel previously told Fortune. “Medications have really helped level the playing field. It can help interrupt some of that disruptive signaling.”
That said, GLP-1 adherence is an issue. According to a research brief published in the August issue of the Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy, roughly one in three (32%) patients were still on their medication after a year. Fewer than that (27%) took the drug as intended.
Plant-based diet appeals to weight-loss hopefuls
The PCRM survey also asked people how much they agreed with this statement: “If a plant-based diet might cause significant weight loss, I would be interested in trying it, at least briefly.” More than half (57%) of all respondents agreed, with 17% saying they didn’t need to lose weight. More than three in five (68%) respondents looking to lose weight agreed.
Among people who were interested in weight loss, these groups most strongly agreed:
- Women: 70%
- Gen Zers: 81%
- Asian or “other”: 76%
- College and postgraduate-degree holders (tie): 69%
- Household income exceeds $100K: 70%
- Urban dwellers: 75%
- Northeasterners: 70%
- Registered voters: 69%
- Democrats: 76%
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