Why did it take so long to give Americans fat pills?
There are early signs that obesity rates may have decreased in the US for the first time.
A report released Tuesday by the CDC found that 40 percent of US adults were obese from 2021 to 2023, down from 42 percent from 2017 to 2020.
This is the first time there has been a year-on-year decrease since the CDC began regularly tracking the metric in 2013, though the change is not statistically significant.
At the very least, it means obesity rates are not increasing anymore. The downward tick comes amid the rise of Ozempic and other weight-loss drugs, though experts say it’s slightly too early to know if they are playing a role.
Despite the tentative positive trend, obesity rates are still higher than 10 years ago, when 38 percent of adults had a BMI over 30, and more Americans are morbidly obese than ever.
What a simple solution.
Great job, America.
We knew you could do it.