You would have to be living as a digital shut-in to be unaware of the GLP-1s, the glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists changing the face of “nutritional” medicine. Initially developed for treatment of Type II diabetes, the GLP-1s “side effects” of improved satiety, slowed gastric emptying, and a reduced appetite promoted significant weight loss. Weight management has become a major indication for its use.
The market for these drugs has expanded so rapidly that they are beginning to shift food preferences. Beyond the obvious reductions in weight, several studies have suggested that GLPs reduce the preference for energy-dense and high-fat foods, which enhance satiety and may potentiate the GLP’s effect. GLP-1s are reframing the discussion of obesity and dieting. A new study in Food Quality and Preference uncovers food choices under the influence of GLP-1s.
Online respondents completed food surveys asking them to characterize their caloric intake over a 7-day period. The respondents were separated into four groups: current GLP-1 users, past users, those planning to use, and those with no use or plans to use. They rated the desirability of different food items within the categories of proteins, including plant-based meat substitutes, beverages, and other foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and processed foods. Current and previous users were asked about changes in their caloric intake and food choices.
- Women, larger households, higher education levels, and income, were more consistently likely to be current, past, or potential users. The influence of higher income confirms a price “hurdle” to access, especially given CMS’s recent decision not to provide GLP-1s for treating obesity.
- Before starting a GLP-1, women and men consumed about 2,500–2,800 calories daily, with no significant intake difference between those using it for weight loss or diabetes.
- For those currently taking GLP-1s, women consumed fewer calories (194) than men (184).
- Women taking a GLP-1 for weight loss reduced their calorie intake by a statistically significant 33% more (228 calories) than those managing their diabetes. For men treating weight loss, the calorie reduction of 16% (121 calories) was insignificant compared to those managing their diabetes.
- Individuals taking or having taken a GLP-1 ate less of most foods and drinks, especially processed foods, soda, refined grains, and beef—down by up to 50%. There were also notable drops in starchy vegetables, pork, alcohol, juice, and milk. Only fruit, leafy greens, and water saw increased intake.
- Despite eating less junk food, those currently on GLP-1s still find these foods desirable – cravings persist
“In conclusion, this study provides evidence that GLP-1s support weight management through calorie reduction and influence food consumption patterns by diminishing intake of high-calorie and processed foods. While food desirability remains high among GLP-1 users, actual consumption is notably lower, suggesting a unique dissociation between preference and intake potentially driven by enhanced taste sensitivity and altered pleasure responses.” [emphasis added]
GLP-1s reframe the debate
We live in an obesogenic environment. Because excess weight is so easily correlated with food, much of the attention on weight reduction has been directed toward our diet. But we should appreciate the role of other environmental factors. That would include more sedentary options for our free time, a transition to an economy based on less muscular labor, and economic disparities that constrain time and budgets favoring “grab and go” foods. Foods that, through agriculture's automation, have left us a legacy abundance of calorie and nutrient-dense foods at remarkably low prices.
Our biology, predicated on preparing for scarcity, is misaligned with an environment of agricultural abundance and sedentary lifestyles. While some argue that dieting is a matter of will, the study suggests that GLP-1s help us shift that will. Even while the desire remains, GLP-1s reduce consumption. The participants still loved “less nutritional” options but didn’t act upon those cravings. The persistence of those “better” choices after stopping the GLP-1s and their physiologic actions suggest new dietary habits evolve.
GLP-1s may reframe the diet debate from a moral test of willpower to a biological intervention disrupting the cycle of craving and consumption in an environment stacked against us. Like nicotine patches for smokers, these medications don’t eliminate desire—they quiet it, creating a window where healthier habits can take root. In a world increasingly engineered for overeating, GLP-1s offer a form of harm reduction, turning down the volume of food noise and aligning our biology, however briefly, with our intentions. Their true power may lie not in forcing weight loss but in giving people the space and time to make better choices and lasting change.
Source: Characteristics and food consumption for current, previous, and potential consumers of GLP-1s Food Quality and Preference DOI: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2025.105507
Chuck Dinerstein, MD, MBA
Director of Medicine
Dr. Charles Dinerstein, M.D., MBA, FACS is Director of Medicine at the American Council on Science and Health. He has over 25 years of experience as a vascular surgeon.
