Whether they’re using weekly shots or daily pills, more Americans than ever are turning to anti-obesity drugs to lose weight and boost health.About 1 in 8 U.S. adults say they are taking a GLP-1 drug, according to a recent survey by the health research group KFF.Just since January, more than 600,000 prescriptions have been written for Novo Nordisk’s new Wegovy pill, the company said. Early analysis suggests that more than a third of users are new to the drugs, according to Truveta, a health care data company. But medication alone isn’t the answer, experts caution. It also takes lifestyle changes — healthy diet, exercise, adequate sleep and stress management — to reap the biggest benefits from the drugs known as GLP-1s.“The biggest mistake people make with GLP-1 medications is thinking the prescription is the treatment,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity medicine expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of FlyteHealth, a weight-loss treatment company.
GLP-1s can spur weight loss and health benefits on their own, but the effects are larger and last longer when the drugs are combined with lifestyle changes, a recent review of nearly three dozen studies found.Here’s what experts say you should know about GLP-1 drugs and healthy habits:
