The disruptive drive of weight reduction medicine: How GLP-1s do greater than shed kilos | EUROtoday

There’s no denying the recognition of weight-loss medicine within the United States, with one in eight adults counting on GLP-1s to shed kilos or deal with a persistent situation, based on a November survey by well being coverage group KFF.

The GLP-1 trade is producing billions in income – and rising. Medications, like Ozempic and Wegovy, raked in additional than $31 billion in income for Danish pharmaceutical firm Novo Nordisk in 2024, accounting for significant chunk of Denmark’s GDP, Reuters studies.

Weight loss medicine have additionally quickly unfold via the cultural zeitgeist with celebrities endorsing and admitting their use of the merchandise. Social media is alight with dialog over the medicine with hashtags like “Ozempic face” getting used to explain the obvious results of speedy weight-loss. And it’s attainable we’ll see better uptake of GLP-1s now that the medicine, as soon as solely obtainable as injectables, are being made in tablet kind.

But the affect of GLP-1s stretches far past the well being and well-being of these utilizing them: they’re impacting revenues — for higher or worse — in a swath of industries.

Appetite for change

Studies present that GLP-1 use contributes to decrease spending on groceries and quick meals. Weight loss can change sufferers’ consuming habits and urge for food, based on Nicolette Pace, a registered dietitian based mostly in New York.

“When they’re losing weight, people sometimes go, ‘I’m not as hungry’ … and ‘I just don’t eat as much as I used to,’” Pace informed The Independent.

GLP-1s can even curb cravings as a result of they affect “reward centers” of the mind, based on Dr. Will Haas, a board-certified integrative drugs doctor in North Carolina.

“You’re not getting that same kind of reward feedback loop from some of the ultra-processed foods,” he informed The Independent.

It seems grocery baskets are taking a success. Households with not less than one GLP-1 consumer noticed their grocery spending drop by greater than 5 p.c inside six months, based on a research revealed within the peer-reviewed Journal of Market Research in December.

A research revealed in January, by the consulting agency Bain & Company, additionally revealed that U.S. customers taking GLP-1s spend a median of 5 p.c much less on quick meals.

Some of the most important quick meals firms are already seeing falling gross sales and financial analysts have described weight reduction medicine as “demand disruptors” within the trade, CBS News reported.

McDonald’s may lose as much as 28 million buyer visits and $482 million per yr as a result of rising reputation of GLP-1 drugs, Redburn Atlantic, a monetary evaluation agency, informed CBS News.

Some meals firms try new advertising schemes to enchantment to weight-loss drug customers. In groceries shops throughout the U.S., increasingly more merchandise are being labeled as “GLP-1 friendly,” particularly if the gadgets are excessive in protein. However, these labels are unregulated, which suggests sufferers ought to nonetheless learn ingredient lists and seek the advice of with their medical doctors about their weight loss plan, based on the Associated Press.

Pace warns that individuals trying to drop extra pounds can’t simply eat much less — in addition they have to contemplate making more healthy meals selections.

“You think you’re spending less on food. But how many people are really making the transition into making healthier food choices, and they’re just not eating exactly the same way, they’re just eating less, letting the pill do all the work? I’ve seen a lot of that,” she mentioned.

Backing off the booze

It’s not simply meals — weight-loss medicine have seen some customers chopping again on alcohol and different drinks.

Haas mentioned lots of his sufferers who take GLP-1s report “reduced cravings and lower alcohol consumption as a result.” That means they’re seemingly spending much less on alcohol once they exit, too.

Financial analysts have noticed an analogous pattern. About 44 p.c of GLP-1 customers drink much less after beginning the medicine, and 82 p.c keep these habits even after stopping, based on a March 2025 survey by EY-Parthenon.

Alcohol shares tumbled final summer season, and rising GLP-1 use could have contributed to this dip in gross sales, based on Forbes. Brown-Forman, the corporate that produces Jack Daniel’s whiskey, has warned the trade is going through strain due to various elements, together with weight-loss medicine and decrease demand from youthful adults, the outlet studies.

Patients who use weight-loss medicine may additionally be ingesting much less as a result of they’ve a renewed deal with their well being.

“You’re additionally going to have the secondary impact of individuals saying, ‘Hey, I’m making this investment in my health, I should probably make smarter health decisions elsewhere in my life,” Haas explained.

GLP-1 users also report lower consumption of other beverages, including coffee and soda. This could mean trouble for major beverage makers – but some industry leaders aren’t anxious, based on Food Dive.

Coca-Cola CFO John Murphy has mentioned the favored soda model is already “well positioned to provide choice and to provide options for people’s respective motivations and needs,” due to its choice of drinks with few or no energy, Food Dive studies.

Flying begin

The elevated reputation of GLP-1s means airways are carrying slimmer passengers, which in flip reduces their gasoline prices, based on a current report by the Wall Street agency Jefferies.

Analysts estimate these medicine may save the highest U.S. airways as much as $580 million over the following yr.

“A slimmer society = lower fuel consumption. Airlines have a history of being vigilant around aircraft weight savings, from olives (pitless, of course) to paper stock,” the agency wrote in a notice to purchasers seen by CNBC.

Fashion aware

Weight-loss drugs are proving to be a significant disrupter to the style and sweetness industries. Sales of smaller sizes are steadily rising, based on a September research from Impact Analytics, bucking the earlier pattern of a rise in bigger sizes.

Returns are additionally up – and means vogue manufacturers may lose out on income in the event that they don’t adapt, the agency mentioned.

“The rise of GLP-1s is collapsing traditional demand patterns at a speed retailers have never experienced before” wrote Impact Analytics founder Prashant Agrawal. “Our data shows billions of dollars in retail margins for inventory are at risk unless brands start planning for the shopper of 2027, instead of the shopper of 2022.”

Some U.S. retailers are transferring shortly. Avneet Singh, founding father of males’s clothes line Regent Row, informed CNBC shops are already “putting fewer extended sizes on the rack.”

“You’ll see tighter size runs in store and more ‘online-only’ tags once you hit 2XL and up,” he mentioned.

The magnificence trade can also be taking notice.Vogue studies some firms have began producing GLP-1 particular skincare merchandise as dry and tight pores and skin is a reported aspect impact of weight reduction medicine.

Muscling in

Dr Haas is seeing extra sufferers investing of their health and studying about what exercises are essential to mix with weight reduction medicine.

“A lot more people talk about going to the gym to do resistance exercise training. So that is another big shift I’ve seen: people now buying into the concept that cardio is not great. Because they’re hearing the importance of not losing that muscle mass,” Haas mentioned.

Gym house owners seem optimistic that GLP-1s will profit the trade, Axios studies. Some firms, like Life Time, are even creating tailor-made health packages for GLP-1 customers, based on the outlet.

“We know that if you are going to succeed with GLP-1s, you are going to need to learn to train. You’re going to wish to have some resistance train with the intention to keep lean muscle, and you need to have correct dietary steerage,” Life Time’s chief science officer Jim LaValle informed Axios.