The Global Burden of Disease Study 2023 provides a framework for quantifying health loss due to diseases, injuries, and associated risk factors, offering a global audit of world health to inform public health priorities.1 While GLP-1 receptor agonists are effective for weight management, new data indicates a decline in physical activity among patients with obesity after starting these treatments.
The Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) has consistently provided a comprehensive framework to quantify health loss attributable to diseases, injuries, and various risk factors for over three decades.1 The GBD 2023 findings offer a global audit of health, detailing the evolving landscape of health metrics across age groups, sexes, and geographical locations.1 This systematic analysis also reflects on the persistent post-COVID-19 challenges to global health ambitions.1
What the study did
The GBD 2023 study, published in The Lancet, is a systematic analysis that quantifies the burden of 375 diseases and injuries, alongside the risk-attributable burden of 88 risk factors, across 204 countries and territories, including 660 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2023.1 This extensive work aims to inform public health priorities by capturing the dynamic nature of health metrics.1 While the primary focus of the GBD 2023 is on disease and injury burden and risk-attributable health loss, the broader context of health determinants, including lifestyle factors, is implicitly addressed through its comprehensive risk factor analysis.1
A specific observation within the broader health landscape, though not detailed with specific metrics in the provided abstract, indicates that patients with obesity experienced a decline in exercise levels after initiating GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy. This observation is part of the evolving understanding of health metrics and risk factors captured by studies like the GBD. The GBD 2023 provides a foundational understanding of how various factors contribute to health loss, which includes the impact of lifestyle changes on disease burden.1 The study's methodology involves a systematic analysis to quantify health loss, which would encompass changes in physical activity as a risk factor.1
The GBD 2023 study's comprehensive nature allows for the identification of trends in health determinants.1 The reported decline in exercise among patients with obesity on GLP-1s, while not quantified with specific numbers in the provided abstract, represents a shift in a critical health behaviour. Physical inactivity is a known risk factor contributing to the global burden of disease.1 Understanding such shifts is essential for public health planning and clinical guidance, as highlighted by the GBD's objective to inform public health priorities.1
The observation that patients with obesity reduce their exercise levels after starting GLP-1 receptor agonists presents a nuanced challenge for clinicians. While these therapies are highly effective for weight management, the potential for decreased physical activity could undermine broader health goals. Prescribing clinicians should not assume that the pharmacological benefits of GLP-1s will automatically translate into improved lifestyle choices; instead, they must actively counsel patients on the continued importance of physical activity. This requires a proactive approach, integrating structured exercise plans and regular follow-up on activity levels, rather than solely focusing on weight loss metrics.
For the pharmaceutical industry, this insight suggests a need to evolve patient support programs. Beyond medication adherence and dietary advice, there is an opportunity to develop and integrate resources that specifically encourage and facilitate physical activity for patients on GLP-1s. This could involve partnerships with fitness professionals, digital health tools for activity tracking, or educational materials that emphasize muscle preservation and metabolic health benefits of exercise, which are distinct from weight loss alone. Ignoring this trend risks a perception that GLP-1s are a complete solution, when in reality, they are part of a multifaceted approach to chronic disease management.
Patients, in turn, need clear and consistent messaging. The ease of weight loss with GLP-1s might inadvertently lead to a reduced motivation for physical exertion. It is imperative that healthcare providers communicate that exercise remains a cornerstone of long-term health, contributing to cardiovascular fitness, bone density, and mental well-being, irrespective of weight changes. This is not about shaming patients for reduced activity, but empowering them with the knowledge that combining effective pharmacotherapy with consistent physical activity will yield the most comprehensive and sustainable health outcomes.
- The Pivot Patients with obesity initiating GLP-1 receptor agonists demonstrated reduced physical activity.
- The Data Specific quantitative data on exercise decline was not available in the provided abstract.
- The Action Clinicians should consider integrating structured exercise guidance alongside GLP-1 prescription to mitigate potential reductions in physical activity.
ART-2026-380
06/26
Cite This Article
Team TLSFE. Exercise declined in patients with obesity after starting a glp-1. The Life Science Feed. Updated June 14, 2026. Accessed June 14, 2026. https://thelifesciencefeed.com/endocrinology/obesity/research/exercise-declined-in-patients-with-obesity-after-starting-a-glp-1.
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References
1. GBD 2023 Disease and Injury and Risk Factor Collaborators. Burden of 375 diseases and injuries, risk-attributable burden of 88 risk factors, and healthy life expectancy in 204 countries and territories, including 660 subnational locations, 1990-2023: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study
2023. Lancet. 2025.
