Weight Loss & Obesity News & Features

April 24, 2024 — Weights, aerobics, and … Wegovy? Some in the fitness industry are moving to dispense the popular GLP-1 medications to club members, combining the new, easier method of losing weight with the old, more challenging one.

April 19, 2024 — A little visceral fat is helpful. It cushions your heart, lungs, and the organs in your gut. Too much, though, and it becomes a bad player. So what can you do to lessen your health risks?

April 12, 2024 — Endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty (ESG), a nonsurgical weight loss procedure, is more cost-effective over a 5-year period than using semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic, Wegovy, and other weight loss drugs, a new study shows.

April 11, 2024 — A growing body of evidence shows that it's not just what and how much you eat that influence your health. How fast and when you eat also play a role.

March 29, 2024 — While applauding the role that these behavior-based weight management programs play in a comprehensive approach, an academic weight loss doctor thinks the order is backward.

March 15, 2024 — With summer months approaching – and pressures that come with showing more skin – more and more young adults are looking to GLP-1 medications, like Ozempic, to get prepped for “swimsuit season.” But experts say there are critical things to consider before reaching for such medications, particularly for those struggling with body image issues.

February 22, 2024 — It might not produce results as dramatic as regular injections, but you can get everything you need in a grocery store, for far less money -- and this approach has the potential to improve your health in numerous ways.

If you’re looking to lose weight for health benefits, you may not need as much weight loss as you think. Read about the benefits of modest weight loss.

February 8, 2024 — People taking a popular type of drug for weight loss or to manage diabetes have a decreased likelihood of being newly diagnosed with depression or anxiety, according to an analysis of millions of people’s health records.

February 8, 2024 — People who take weight loss drugs should not neglect diet and exercise. Here's what to know.

February 5, 2024 — People with obesity who took the weight loss drug Zepbound experienced a reduction in blood pressure similar to or better than results usually seen with traditional hypertension drugs, a new analysis shows.

January 25, 2024 — For many of the 42 million Americans with obesity, weight loss medications such as Wegovy, Saxenda, and the brand-new Zepbound can be a godsend, helping them lose the excess pounds they’ve struggled with for decades or a lifetime.

January 24, 2024 — An analysis of health records for people who lost weight while being prescribed drugs like Wegovy, Saxenda, or Ozempic showed that many maintained most of their weight loss or continued to shed pounds within the year after their prescription ended.

January 23, 2024 — Loneliness has been known to be a serious health problem, and a new report makes the case that the suffering is worse for people who are obese.

January 11, 2024 — The FDA said Thursday that a review of a class of popular diabetes and obesity drugs found no connection between the medications and a rise in suicidal thoughts. The drugs include Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro.

January 5, 2024 — People taking semaglutide – the active ingredient in the weight loss drug Wegovy and the type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – did not have an increase in suicidal thoughts, compared to people taking other drugs for those conditions, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.

January 4, 2024 — The FDA is formally looking into reports that some people who took popular diabetes and weight loss drugs had suicidal thoughts or two other health problems.

December 22, 2023 — The FDA says it has seized “thousands of units” of counterfeit Ozempic that are circulating while demand for the weight loss drug exceeds supply.

December 15, 2023 — A new way of looking at a misunderstood disease is revolutionizing treatments and transforming lives.

December 14, 2023 — New drugs being used for weight loss might bring results that are as temporary as they are dramatic, according to a study published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

November 15, 2023 — German regulator BfArM is considering a halt on the export of Ozempic because high demand is creating a scarcity of the drug, Reuters reports.

November 8, 2023 — Suspected counterfeits of a popular weight loss drug are linked to the hospitalization of at least three people, federal data shows.

November 8, 2023 — The FDA on Wednesday approved an injection drug Zepbound for chronic weight management for adults with obesity or those who are overweight and have at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

October 20, 2023 — Research published this week shows that fructose may be the central factor driving obesity because it triggers cravings for fatty foods and carbohydrates, while blocking the body’s ability to use stored energy from fat.

October 18, 2023 — Many women on oral contraceptives are unaware that drugs like Mounjaro may result in the unexpected: pregnancy.

October 17, 2023 — The discovery from UCLA could open the door to new treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes.

October 16, 2023 — People at high risk of getting type 2 diabetes lost on average more than 18% of their weight when taking the weight loss drug tirzepatide, according to clinical trial results published over the weekend.

October 6, 2023 — Counterfeit versions of the weight loss drug Ozempic are showing up in a variety of schemes, and sometimes the fraudulent offers are extremely realistic, a health care trade group warned its members this week.

October 5, 2023 — People taking popular medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus for weight loss are at higher risk of potentially serious stomach and intestinal issues, compared to people taking a weight loss drug approved in 2014, a large study reveals.

September 28, 2023 — The FDA has received more than 8,500 reports of gastrointestinal issues among people taking medications like Ozempic and Wegovy, the latter of which is approved for weight loss.

Food “noise” is what some people call their internal chatter about food. For some people, it gets out of hand.

September 22, 2023 — In 22 states across the nation, more than 1 in 3 adults have obesity, according to new data released Thursday by the CDC. That’s up from 19 states in 2021, and none a decade ago.

Asian Americans have a lower obesity rate than other ethnic groups, but there are key differences to be aware of. Here’s what you need to know.

In this webinar, Octavia Pickett-Blakely, MD, MHS, explained what a holistic approach to weight management is.

Wegovy and other semaglutide-containing drugs can help people with obesity lose weight. But not everyone who needs these effective weight loss drugs can get them.

August 22, 2023 — Patients are willing to bet their health on Wegovy and Ozempic fakes while drugmaker Novo Nordisk struggles to meet demand.

August 15, 2023 — The results of a new poll could be a sign that the conditions of obesity and being overweight are increasingly being viewed as diseases. Reducing stigma is a critical step in creating a pathway for people to seek treatment.

August 10, 2023 — Novo Nordisk, manufacturer of the weight loss drug Wegovy, said Thursday that it will continue to restrict supplies of starter doses of the drug in the United States. This restriction will likely continue into next year.

In this WebMD webinar, viewers asked Amanda Velazquez, MD, about what things affect your weight and why weight loss can be challenging.

August 8, 2023 — Study results show semaglutide for weight loss (Wegovy) cut problems in the heart and blood vessels in a 17,000-person trial, which should reframe the health benefit of this weight loss drug.

August 8, 2023 — Identifying specific genes adds to growing evidence that biology, in part, drives obesity. Researchers hope the findings will lead to effective treatments.

August 3, 2023 — A new lawsuit from a woman with type 2 diabetes alleges that the makers of the drugs Ozempic and Mounjaro did not provide adequate warnings for the severity of gastrointestinal problems caused by the popular medicines.

August 1, 2023 — Ozempic is already sometimes difficult to find. Now those who are using to drop a few pounds are making it harder for those who need it.

In this webinar, Amanda Velazquez, MD, explained why obesity is a chronic disease and what goes into losing weight without gaining it back.

July 24, 2023 — People who watched a lot of television as a child often have health problems in adulthood, such as high blood pressure and obesity, says a study conducted over 50 years and published in the online journal Pediatrics.

July 17, 2023 — A medical examiner’s report points to small bowel obstruction as the cause of death, but was it caused by bariatric surgery years earlier?

July 12, 2023 — Most people using new, highly touted prescription drugs to lose weight, such as Wegovy, stop taking them after a year, a new report says. People who used the drugs had “a substantial increase in health care” costs over the year, says an analysis by Prime Therapeutics.

July 11, 2023 — The European Medicines Agency is investigating Ozempic and another drug that leads to weight loss amid fears that the medicines may increase the risk of suicide.

July 6, 2023 — New research takes aim at the long-standing measurement of health.