A new analysis estimates that losing as little as 5% weight can lead to substantial savings in health care costs elsewhere.

Weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are increasingly popular among adults, who have flocked to the new medication as an alternative to the traditional — and often ineffective — advice to “eat less and exercise more.

They’ve been heralded as the magic drugs that treat obesity when diet and exercise have failed. But Ozempic and Wegovy – and their newer cousin, Mounjaro – are expensive, and mostly only available on private prescription.

Prescriptions for weight-loss drugs surged in 2024 and were much more popular in some states, particularly those in the South with higher rates of obesity.

A recent study has found that semaglutide reduced heart muscle mass in both lean and obese mice, as well as in lab-grown human heart cells. It was published in JACC: Basic to Translational Science.

The new trend is seeing people take very small doses of medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound. "You know it's going to happen, but you don't realize how it'll manifest itself until it plays out."

Weight loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy are increasingly popular among adults, who have flocked to the new medication as an alternative to the traditional—and often ineffective—advice to "eat less and exercise more.