🛒 From Snack Aisle to Fitting Room: How GLP-1 Users Are Shopping Now
For the first time, most GLP-1 users in the U.S. say they take the medication mainly for weight management, according to a big new consumer survey. 📊 And the ripple effects reach all the way from the snack aisle to the fitting room.
📰 What Happened
On Oct. 22, the consulting firm EY-Parthenon released its GLP-1 Consumer Impact Report. It found that 54% of U.S. GLP-1 users now take the medication primarily for weight management. That’s more than the share using it for diabetes and other health conditions.
This is EY-Parthenon’s third annual GLP-1 consumer survey. It ran from March to May 2026 and included 14,883 people from the general population plus 3,602 current or former GLP-1 users. Here’s what users reported:
Food: 63% eat fewer sweets and 57% eat fewer salty snacks, while 66% eat more fresh produce and 61% eat more protein. 🥦
Drinks: 51% drink fewer soft drinks and 44% drink more functional beverages. On alcohol, 45% have cut back and 40% have stopped altogether, per EY.
Clothes: 72% have changed clothing sizes, and 46% have fully or partly switched apparel brands. Users also told EY they’re buying athletic wear, fitted tops and swimwear they used to avoid. 👗
CBS News adds that about half of users increased their spending on fitness services, such as gym memberships.
🔙 The Backstory
Why the shift? EY points to rising affordability, access and awareness. CBS reports that GLP-1s now come in more forms, including pills, and are reaching more younger, lower-income and male consumers.
Price is a big part of the story. CBS reports that a Trump administration agreement last year with Lilly and Novo Nordisk lowered the price of Ozempic and Wegovy to between $150 and $350 a month, down from roughly $1,000. Separately, a Medicare program called the GLP-1 Bridge began on July 1, 2026. According to CMS, it gives eligible Medicare Part D beneficiaries access to certain GLP-1 drugs for a $50 copay through the end of 2027.
Businesses are paying attention. Don Johnson, a principal at EY-Parthenon, told CBS that stores are making more shelf room for protein-boosted foods and smaller portions. He said companies now see the trend as “a structural change that’s not going away.”
🔮 What’s Next
EY-Parthenon projects that 35% to 40% of U.S. adults will have used a GLP-1 by 2033. The report also sorts users into six consumer “personas,” a reminder that no two journeys look the same.
Researchers are also curious about effects beyond the dinner plate. CBS reports that experts at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School are starting a study on whether GLP-1s affect the brain’s reward system in ways that could curb risky spending, like gambling or luxury purchases.
A couple of notes on the numbers. 📝 This is a self-reported consumer survey, not a clinical study. The coverage also varies a little in its wording. CBS describes the 54% as people taking semaglutide medicines and says 72% “sized down,” while EY’s own release says 54% of all GLP-1 users and 72% “changing clothing sizes.” We’ve used EY’s wording here.
🩺 Your Care Team Knows Best
Every journey is personal. If you have questions about nutrition, activity or your medication, your doctor or pharmacist is the best person to ask.
💬 Come Chat With the Flock
Has your grocery list or closet changed lately? Swap stories (and favorite high-protein snacks 🥜) in the Tideflock community forum. 🐦
📚 Sources
EY: EY-Parthenon GLP-1 Consumer Impact Report press release (Oct. 22, 2026)