{"id":269587,"date":"2026-02-05T21:23:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:23:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/269587\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T21:23:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T21:23:09","slug":"how-glp-1-drugs-may-be-leading-to-new-eating-disorders-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/269587\/","title":{"rendered":"How GLP-1 drugs may be leading to new eating disorders"},"content":{"rendered":"

As millions of Americans take GLP\u20111 medications like Ozempic<\/a>, Wegovy <\/a>and Mounjaro<\/a> for weight loss<\/a> or diabetes<\/a>, doctors are noticing that some patients are developing previously unrecognized eating disorders<\/a> due to the drugs\u2019 powerful appetite-suppressing effects.<\/p>\n

Health professionals across the country say they are seeing patients whose relationship with food<\/a> and body image<\/a> has taken a dangerous turn since starting the medications, which some experts are calling a new form of disordered eating<\/a>.<\/p>\n

GLP\u20111 medications are not FDA-approved for binge eating disorder or any eating disorder, according to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders<\/a>. Clinicians report that these emerging disorders often do not fit traditional categories such as anorexia, bulimia or BED.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve seen people that were prescribed these medications \u2026 who have run into a slippery slope with it, bringing back their eating disorder symptoms and behaviors,\u201d Brad Smith, chief medical officer at The Emily Program<\/a>, a national organization specializing in eating disorders, told the New York Post <\/a>last month.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also seen people who have developed more disordered eating or eating disorders as a result of these medications, even without having an eating disorder in the past,\u201d Smith added.<\/p>\n

\"Research<\/p>\n

Research on GLP\u20111 medications and eating disorders is limited, but their appetite-suppressing effects may promote dietary restriction, a known risk factor for disordered eating, particularly in those pursuing weight loss (Getty\/iStock)<\/p>\n

While similar issues have been observed with other weight-loss drugs, such as certain stimulants, Smith said that GLP\u20111 medications are \u201ca different animal\u201d with a far greater impact.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exceeded anything in the past already,\u201d Smith told The Post. \u201cThey\u2019ve certainly had a much higher impact than any of those previous substances.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Independent has contacted representatives for The Emily Program for comment.<\/p>\n

The trend has alarmed eating-disorder specialists, who caution that current medical screening and monitoring may not be adequate to identify patients at risk. Many people prescribed GLP\u20111 drugs are not evaluated for psychological vulnerabilities that could make appetite suppression dangerous.<\/p>\n

Experts also say that stopping the medications does not always immediately reverse unhealthy eating patterns<\/a> once they develop.<\/p>\n

Research on the relationship between GLP\u20111 receptor agonists and eating disorders is limited. Evidence suggests that by increasing satiety and suppressing hunger, these drugs may encourage dietary restriction, a known risk factor for disordered eating, especially among people already seeking weight-loss treatments.<\/p>\n

\"Eating-disorder<\/p>\n

Eating-disorder specialists warn that screening and monitoring for GLP-1 drugs may be insufficient, leaving some patients with psychological vulnerabilities at risk from appetite suppression (AFP\/Getty)<\/p>\n

Weight stigma may further worsen the problem, as people with higher body weight are more likely to be recommended weight-loss interventions, which can reinforce harmful thoughts and behaviors around food.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo lead to weight loss, these medications are prescribed in two to five times the dose needed to treat diabetes<\/a>,\u201d Dr. Rebecca Boswell, Director of Penn Medicine Princeton<\/a> Center for Eating Disorders and administrative director of Psychiatric Services at Princeton Medical Center, said<\/a> at the Eating Disorders Research Society Conference in Sitges, Spain, last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a massive dose of hormone that affects not only the gut, but the entire body, with major implications for eating processes and eating disorders. In addition, this treatment may prove to be unsustainable in the longer term,\u201d Boswell added.<\/p>\n

Eating disorders are also relatively common among people with diabetes. Between 12 percent and 40 percent of those with type 2 diabetes, and even higher rates in type 1 diabetes, experience disordered eating, according to Australia\u2019s National Eating Disorders Collaboration<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For these patients, GLP\u20111 medications may intersect with preexisting vulnerabilities, including fixation on food, restrictive behaviors or misuse of medications<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The National Eating Disorder Association says that research on GLP\u20111 medications in people with eating disorders is scarce, leaving many unknowns. While the drugs are widely used for weight loss and diabetes management, it is unclear how they affect restrictive or binge-related eating disorders.<\/p>\n

Clinical experience shows that recovery from eating disorders relies on consistent eating patterns, body acceptance, addressing weight stigma, tuning into hunger and fullness cues, and flexibility around food, but how GLP\u20111 medications impact these recovery strategies is not well understood.<\/p>\n

\"GLP\u20111<\/p>\n

GLP\u20111 medications are not approved by the FDA to treat binge eating disorder or any other eating disorder (Getty)<\/p>\n

Existing studies are small and inconclusive. Some suggest the medications may reduce binge-eating episodes in patients with BED or bulimia nervosa, but sample sizes were limited, follow-up periods were short, and long-term effects remain unknown.<\/p>\n

According to ANAD<\/a>, the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, one randomized controlled trial found no significant changes in BED behaviors, indicating that GLP\u20111 drugs may not address the root causes of eating disorders and that symptoms often return once the medication is discontinued.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As millions of Americans take GLP\u20111 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro for weight loss or diabetes, doctors…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":269588,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[152961,39354,8553,25648,134,524,3065,111,139,69,6293,560],"class_list":{"0":"post-269587","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-medication","8":"tag-associated-disorders","9":"tag-binge-eating-disorder","10":"tag-brad-smith","11":"tag-eating-disorders","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-medication","14":"tag-medications","15":"tag-new-zealand","16":"tag-newzealand","17":"tag-nz","18":"tag-patients","19":"tag-weight-loss"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=269587"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/269587\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/269588"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=269587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=269587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=269587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}