The obesity curve finally bent. Now comes the hard part.

The obesity curve has bent, but the next phase remains constrained, according to a Globe Opinion piece by Dr. Ashish K. Jha, cofounder and CEO of BioRadar USA and a senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center. It notes a reversal after decades of rising rates: Gallup data show adult obesity peaked at 39.9% in 2022 and fell each year to 37% in 2025, about 7.6 million fewer adults affected. The article links the steepest declines to adults aged 50–64 and women, groups using GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic and Zepbound more often. It argues the breakthrough is medical innovation, but emphasizes access gaps caused by cost, inconsistent insurance coverage, and bureaucracy. It cites Institute for Clinical and Economic Review estimates of roughly $53,000–$69,000 per healthy life year at net prices and a separate electronic health-record study showing only about 2.3% of adults with obesity without diabetes received a GLP-1 prescription.