T he newest weight-loss drugs, Wegovy and Zepbound, are incredibly popular. But doctors are still learning about all of the ways they affect the body—both helpful and harmful—beyond reducing weight. In report published in Nature Medicine,

About 140,400 obese patients in Massachusetts were prescribed medications like Wegovy and Zepbound in 2024, a 255 percent increase from 2023, according to a Globe analysis of insurance claims data.

The findings, based on an analysis of records from 2.5 million VA patients, support much of what scientists already suspected but contain surprises, too.

The skyrocketing popularity of weight-loss drugs like Wegovy, one of a class of drugs called GLP-1s, is fast becoming a state budgetary concern. In deciding whether to cover the medications, policymakers must choose between the long-term benefits of reducing obesity among public employees and their families—which could cut spending on the treatment of chronic diseases—and the short-term costs.

"All these years I thought that thin people -- those people -- just had more willpower," Winfrey said on her podcast.

Oprah Winfrey says taking a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic and Wegovy has changed her entire perspective on “thin people.” The media icon, 70, took to her podcast last week to share her experience with an undisclosed type of GLP-1 drug that she began taking in 2023.

Oprah Winfrey admitted two years ago to taking diabetes medication to lose weight. Now, in a new podcast episode, she revealed that this process has helped her understand "thin" people. Oprah Winfrey has struggled with weight issues for years.