Summary
A new Lancet study reveals nearly three-quarters of U.S. adults are overweight or obese, a sharp rise from just over half in 1990.
Obesity among adults doubled to over 40%, while rates among girls and women aged 15–24 nearly tripled to 29%.
The study highlights significant health risks, including diabetes, heart disease, and shortened life expectancy, alongside projected medical costs of up to $9.1 trillion over the next decade.
Experts stress obesity’s complex causes—genetic, environmental, and social—and call for structural reforms like food subsidies, taxes on sugary drinks, and expanded treatment access.
My understanding too is that these pills work alongside lifestyle changes. They make it a bit easier to make the lifestyle changes in part by helping control appetite. But if you don’t implement the lifestyle changes while taking them, you’ll just put the weight back on when you stop.
This comment is from a random guy on the internet familiar with some patient support programs that help people on these meds make those changes, so I would love corrected if I’m understanding this wrong.