For decades, the obesity rate among Americans trended inexorably higher, to a peak of 39.9 percent in 2022.

But now, new data from Gallup’s National Health and Well-Being Index shows that something extraordinary has happened: that longstanding trend has reversed, with the obesity rate falling back down to 37 percent this year.

“This is a statistically meaningful decrease representing an estimated 7.6 million fewer obese adults compared with three years ago,” reads the report.

One tempting explanation: that Americans’ falling weights could be because of the explosive popularity of GLP-1 agonist medications like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy, both of which contain the active ingredient semaglutide, which reduces appetite and often leads to significant reductions in body mass.

That certainly seems to be Gallup’s take. It points out that back in February 2024, when it first started collecting data about the use of GLP-1s agonists class, 5.8 percent percent of Americans were taking the drugs. Now the proportion has spiked to 12.4 percent, strongly suggesting a causal relationship.

The number of Americans on the drugs is likely to continue to rise. More people are learning about the drugs and advocating for them to be covered under health insurance, while lawmakers are lobbying for decreased prices, which are falling but can still run many hundreds of dollars per month. And Novo’s competitors are getting in on the business as well, with similar drugs that can cost less and are sometimes even more effective.

If body weights continue to fall, it’d likely have major public health consequences, since obesity is linked to a laundry list of health risks, from heart and liver disease to diabetes and high blood pressure. (GLP-1 drugs are also experiencing a surge in popularity worldwide, meaning the public health implications could be global.)

It’s worth pointing out that weight loss from GLP-1s isn’t just cosmetic; a steady drumbeat of research has found that the drugs lower the health risk from obesity-related conditions. In other words, increasing access could prevent a lot of illness and premature death.

“Expanding access to these treatments may be an important factor in determining whether the current decline in obesity becomes a lasting trend, since despite recent declines the U.S. obesity rate remains very high by historical standards,” Gallup wrote.

More on GLP-1 drugs: Human Experiments on GLP-1 Pill Looking Extremely Promising