Obesity rate is declining as more Americans use weight loss drugs, survey finds

Question

U.S. adult obesity has dropped from 39.9% in 2022 to 37% in 2025, according to new Gallup data from nearly 17,000 adults. The decline aligns with a sharp rise in GLP-1 weight-loss drug use, which grew from 5.8% of adults in early 2024 to 12.4% in 2025. The biggest decreases in obesity were seen among adults aged 40–64. Though based on self-reported data, the trend suggests expanding access to weight-loss treatments may be contributing to lower obesity rates. Despite this improvement, U.S. obesity levels remain high compared with other Western countries.

Answer 1

This claim is true. Americans have been using more weight loss drugs, as proven in a survey, and at the same time the obesity rates started dropping. The article says that U.S. adult obesity fell from 39.9% in 2022 to about 37% in 2025. This drop happened as more people used weight‑loss drugs like Ozempic and Zepbound. The biggest decreases were seen in age groups using these drugs the most. It states that “The survey found that the number of Americans taking drugs like semaglutide (which include the brands Ozempic and Wegovy) or tirzepatide (under the brands Zepbound and Mounjaro) for weight loss more than doubled over the past year and a half.”

https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/10/28/nx-s1-5587805/glp-1-ozempic-zepbound-gallup-obesity-rate

Answer 2

In investigating the claim that obesity is declining as Americans use weight loss drugs, I found that the information is accurate and verified by multiple reliable sources including NRP and Gallup. These organizations confirmed the decline in American obesity rates and increased use of weight loss drugs.

For primary sources, I reviewed the article released by Gallup, which verified the decline from 39.9% to 37% obesity rate in the U.S. over the past three years in adults. Additionally, the use of weight loss injectables has increased from 5.8% to 12.4% in adults within the past two years. Gallup has been conducting measurements since 2008 to confirm the changes in obesity rates in America.

For secondary sources, NPR published an article further explaining the Gallup researchers findings thus far. Furthermore, NPR emphasizes this decline may be temporary due to the cost of the weight loss drugs. Multiple outlets including CBS news also cite Gallup research when publishing similar articles pertaining to obesity and weight loss drugs.

There are very few potential biases, since the information comes from reliable scientific research and news institutions.

The Gallup has not released any further information or data regarding this research, beyond the initial article.

Comments

Thanks for naming your sources within the fact-check (re: Gallup, CBS, NPR, etc). Going forward, please list the URL links too.

Answer 3

I found that this claim is correct, according to many verified sources, specifically healthline, featuring over hundreds of doctors and clinicians who put their two senses in. This source doesn’t have much potential bias, doctors wouldn’t lie about the wellbeing of our country. For anything they would say it stays the same so their profession can get more clients and revenue. In the Gallup poll, released in October 2025, it proves that as citizens get older, they are more likely to start the use of Ozempic and Wegovy. During the first nine months of this poll, participants were asked their height and weight, so it could be recorded, and whether they had type 1 or 2 diabetes. From this poll, they found, “ ..findings indicate the obesity rate in the United States has decreased from a record high of nearly 40% in 2022 to 37% in 2025. However, there were some faults according to MD David Cutler. He notes that someone who lost body fat and gained muscle mass could fall into the obesity category because the rate was based on BMI scores. The article goes into more detail about which weight loss drugs are used more often, but overall the claim “obesity rate is declining as more Americans use weight loss drugs, survey finds” is proven to be true.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/obesity-rate-declining-weight-loss-drugs-gallup-poll#More-Americans-being-prescribed-GLP-1-drugs

Answer 4

This claim seems to be true. The numbers from the CBS article match up with the Gallup article it cites. The Gallup article also adds useful knowledge, like the survey methods used to find these results. There could be other factors that are resulting in a decrease in obesity, but the correlation between GLP-1 usage and declining obesity is undeniable.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obesity-rate-declining-weight-loss-drugs/

https://news.gallup.com/poll/696599/obesity-rate-declining.aspx

Answer 5

This claim is true. According to GLP, the use of injectables for weight loss has more than doubled since 2024. In 2022, obesity rates in America peaked at 39.9%. They have recently decreased to 37% in 2025 which is an incredibly significant decrease representing 7.6 million fewer obese adults compared to 3 years ago. According to Pew Research Center, in the recent months, the Trump administration struck a deal with pharmaceutical companies to lower the prices of weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. These weight loss drugs have become more accessible in America and will most likely continue to be more accessible. These weight loss drugs are for people with certain health conditions, not just people who want to lose weight, so these drugs becoming more and more accessible isn't a good thing for people without these health conditions. It is very good that people who need these weight loss drugs for obesity and diabetes may be able to access them more easily to get the healthcare they need.

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2026/01/23/6-facts-about-obesity-and-weight-loss-drugs-in-the-u-s/

http://news.gallup.com/poll/696599/obesity-rate-declining.aspx

https://today.usc.edu/weight-loss-drugs-popularity-ozempic-wegovy-may-worsen-disparities/

Answer 6

This claim is true, with the CBS article accurately citing data reported by Gallup. The obesity rate declined from 39.9% to 37.0% of Americans from 2022 to 2025. According to Gallup's report on growing usage of weight loss injections, "the growing popularity of GLP-1s has led to healthier BMI scores but has not lessened the rate of diabetes diagnoses, which is a lifetime diagnosis." It is important to note that while obesity rates have substantially declined, diabetes diagnoses are climbing to an all-time high which means lower obesity rates doesn't directly mean overall healthier populations. This sentiment is reinforced by Gallup, "while GLP-1s support weight management, they should not be considered a cure-all for overall health or other disease states."

Source: https://news.gallup.com/poll/696599/obesity-rate-declining.aspx

Answer 7

This claim seems to be true, the uprise in weight loss drug use has been a huge topic of conversation and when looking up the topic many articles come up, proving this is not a claim made up from nothing. NPR released a story talking about the how weight loss drugs have brought down Americas obesity rates and mentions Gallup as a source. Both sources confirm the statistics, other sources I found like the Columbia medical center which goes into detail about the controversy around the increase of weight loss drug use and how in the future it could have negative economic and health care effects. Overall this claim seems to be true as it is backed up by multiple reliable sources.

Answer 8

After reviewing multiple articles and their sources, I concluded that the claim “Obesity rates are declining as more Americans use weight-loss drugs” is accurate. This conclusion is supported by data from Gallup and reporting from HealthLeaders Media.

Gallup reports that the U.S. adult obesity rate declined from 39.9% in 2022 to approximately 37% in 2025. While this percentage change may seem small, it represents millions of adults who are no longer classified as obese. During the same period, Gallup found a sharp increase in the use of prescription weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy. The share of U.S. adults using these drugs for weight loss more than doubled between 2024 and 2025. What is notable is that Gallup connects these two trends, suggesting that the growing availability and use of prescription weight-loss medications is likely contributing to the decline in obesity rates.

HealthLeaders Media reinforces this conclusion by analyzing the same Gallup data. Their reporting highlights increased medication use among adults with higher BMIs and frames the trend as a significant public health development. Rather than treating the decline as coincidental, the article identifies medical weight-loss treatments as a key factor behind the change.

The data from Gallup and the analysis from HealthLeaders Media provide strong evidence that obesity rates in the United States are declining, and that the increased use of prescription weight-loss drugs is playing a major role in this shift. 

https://news.gallup.com/poll/696599/obesity-rate-declining.aspx 

https://www.healthleadersmedia.com/cmo/obesity-rate-declining-more-americans-use-weight-loss-drugs-survey-finds

Answer 9

1. Brief overall summary of your findings

The claim that U.S. adult obesity has declined from 39.9% in 2022 to 37% in 2025 is supported by recent Gallup survey data. The decline coincides with a significant increase in the use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy. While the data is self-reported and cannot prove causation, it suggests a correlation between increased access to weight-loss medications and modest reductions in obesity rates.

2. Primary sources

Gallup Survey Data
Gallup surveyed nearly 17,000 U.S. adults and reported a decline in self-reported obesity rates between 2022 and 2025. The same data shows a sharp increase in the percentage of adults using GLP-1 weight-loss drugs.
https://www.gallup.com/

Clinical research on GLP-1 medications
Peer-reviewed studies show that GLP-1 drugs are effective for individual weight loss, supporting the plausibility of the trend observed in the survey data.
https://www.nejm.org/

3. Secondary sources

CBS News article
The CBS News article summarizes Gallup’s findings and places them in a broader public health context. It clearly notes that the data is self-reported and does not claim definitive causation.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/obesity-rate-declining-weight-loss-drugs/

4. Potential biases or interests

Gallup’s data relies on self-reported height and weight, which may underestimate obesity rates. Media coverage may also emphasize positive trends related to weight-loss drugs due to public interest and pharmaceutical influence. However, Gallup is a well-established polling organization with transparent methodology.

5. Evidence that supports the claim

The Gallup survey shows a measurable decline in self-reported obesity rates alongside a large increase in GLP-1 drug use. The strongest declines occurred among adults aged 40–64, aligning with the demographic most likely to use these medications.

6. Evidence that undermines the claim

Because the data is self-reported, it may not fully reflect actual obesity rates. Additionally, the survey shows correlation but does not prove that weight-loss drugs are the direct cause of the decline.