Most Americans Prefer Exercise Over Weight Loss Drugs

Ozempic, a drug developed and approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes, has gained a lot of attention in recent years. And while it’s still widely used for its intended purpose, helping diabetes patients to regulate blood sugar, Ozempic and its active ingredient semaglutide have also sparked the interest of non-diabetics – as a highly effective weight loss drug. By mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, semaglutide limits appetite and slows down gastric emptying, meaning that users feel full for longer periods and consequently eat less.

According to a 2024 survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation, 1 in 8 U.S. adults have taken such medication at some point, the majority of which having done so to treat a chronic condition such as diabetes or heart disease. However, almost 4 in 10 users have taken GLP-1 drugs primarily to lose weight, be it through off-label use of diabetes drugs such as Ozempic or as intended with similar drugs approved to treat obesity such as Wegovy. And while these drugs have been found effective in achieving significant weight loss, critics have warned against potential adverse health effects of rapid weight loss, such as loss of muscle mass or reduced bone density.

According to a 2023 Morning Consult survey, almost 3 in 10 U.S. adults were interested in trying GLP-1 prescription drugs for weight loss, but the majority prefers more “traditional” weight loss methods over the relatively new and unproven medication. Morning Consult found that roughly 80 percent of respondents thought that increasing the amount of exercise is not only effective for losing weight and keeping it off, but it’s also safe – something that significantly fewer respondents said about Ozempic and the like. While 37 and 34 percent of U.S. adults believed that GLP-1 drugs were effective in losing weight and keeping weight off, respectively, just 33 percent of respondents considered it safe at this point. While exercise is the number 1 weight loss method according to Americans, other options were considered superior to prescription drugs as well. These included following a specific diet, weight loss programs and even weight loss surgery.