美国肥胖率出现逆转迹象，GLP-1类药物成关键推手

美国肥胖率在持续上升超过40年后首次出现下降。根据2024年发表、基于超1600万成年人数据的研究，2023年肥胖患病率较前年有所下降，这是10多年来首见的降幅1。美国国家卫生与营养检查调查也确认了这一趋势，显示2021至2023年间肥胖率略有下降1。

GLP-1类药物（包括Ozempic、Wegovy、Zepbound等）的广泛使用被普遍认为是这一转变的主要驱动力1。这类药物的处方量在2021年至2026年初增加了超过四倍1。肥胖协会发言人表示，"普遍的看法是GLP-1类药物在这种减少中发挥了很大的直接作用"1。

然而，专家对这一迹象的持久性仍持谨慎态度。哈佛医学院流行病学家Benjamin Rader指出，"我们看到有迹象表明会出现一个转折点"，但也警告称"肥胖仍然是美国一个巨大的公共卫生危机"1。当前使用GLP-1药物的肥胖患者数量相对有限，且许多患者在停止治疗一年内体重会反弹1。华盛顿大学卫生指标评估研究所预测肥胖率将在2035年前上升，从2022年的42.5%增至46.9%1，这与近期的下降趋势形成对比。

After more than four decades of rising obesity rates, the United States appears to be experiencing a potential shift. Research published in 2024 based on data from over 16 million adults revealed that obesity prevalence declined in 2023, marking the first decrease in more than a decade 1. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey also documented a slight decline in obesity rates between 2021 and 2023 1.

The surge in GLP-1 medications, including Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound, is widely credited as a primary driver of this change 1. Prescriptions for these drugs increased more than fourfold between 2021 and early 2026 1. According to a spokesperson from the Obesity Society, "general opinion is that GLP-1 medications...played a large and direct role in this reduction" 1. Epidemiologist Benjamin Rader from Harvard Medical School stated that "We're seeing signs that there's going to be a turning point" 1.

However, experts caution against viewing this as a definitive trend reversal. The University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation projects obesity rates will rise before 2035, increasing from 42.5 percent in 2022 to 46.9 percent 1. Rader warned that "obesity still remains a huge public health crisis in America" 1. Additionally, only a small proportion of obese patients use GLP-1 medications, and many patients experience weight rebound after discontinuing treatment within a year 1.