Mounjaro (produced by Eli Lilly) and Wegovy are the most commonly used weight loss drugs in the UK. Ozempic should only be prescribed to people with type 2 diabetes<\/a>. But it has been used in the US as a weight loss tool for years, and is increasingly being used \u2018off-label\u2019 for this in the UK.<\/p>\n To qualify for Wegovy or Mounjaro via the NHS, patients must have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 35kg\/m2 and at least one pre-existing, weight-related health condition. The drug is expensive and funding is limited: it currently costs the NHS about \u00a33,000 a year to give a patient one of these drugs, and there are 3.4m who are eligible. If we were all to receive it, it would cost \u00a310bn annually, which is half the drug budget for the NHS.<\/p>\n So the majority of users \u2013 nine out of 10 \u2013 go private, through high street and online pharmacies, for roughly \u00a3130 a month for the starting dose, increasing to about \u00a3269 a month for the maximum dose. No wonder the Denmark-based Novo Nordisk is singlehandedly shaping the Danish economy.<\/p>\n But to what extent is it shaping ours? With only two years under the belt of these drugs in the UK, data is slim, and opinions differ, but many think this could be seismic for brands, businesses \u2013 and even social culture.<\/p>\n This is not just because people are losing vast amounts of weight, but it is also affecting fashion, psychological and physical health, and the way we socialise. It\u2019s also down to the way these drugs work. Known collectively (and unsexily) as GLP-1 receptor agonists, they mimic hormones in the body responsible for regulating appetite and satiety. Not only do they slow digestion and make users feel fuller for longer, but they also appear to reduce cravings for alcohol and high-fat, high-sugar foods.<\/p>\n There have been no significant studies to prove this, but in a survey of 300 patients in the US, Morgan Stanley found those on the drugs consumed between 20 to 30 per cent fewer calories daily, cut back their consumption of confections, sugary drinks and baked goods by as much as two-thirds \u2013 and a quarter quit alcohol. <\/p>\n The potential impacts of these drugs<\/a> are enormous and range from the restaurant industry to aviation: lighter passengers could wipe billions off the fuel bill. Yet analysts at Barclays told global stock research platform LongPort last year that \u201cinvestors are currently finding it difficult to assess the comprehensive impact of GLP-1 drugs, as the potential market scenarios are very broad.\u201d<\/p>\n How cheap \u2013 and thus how widespread \u2013 these drugs could become, their long-term success rates, the side effects they entail, and the extent to which this could yet prove a trend are all significant factors and relatively unknown. Then there are the risks these drugs pose to those who shouldn\u2019t be taking them but are managing to access them anyway, something that, in this country, at least, is set to rewrite the regulation.<\/p>\n These drugs are designed to be used for life, but that is not how they are being used currently, either privately or on the NHS. Anecdotally, one hears of people\u2019 doing a little Ozempic\u2019<\/a> before their holiday. A study in the US found that just 40 per cent of patients who filled a prescription for Wegovy in 2021 or 2022 were still taking it a year on. NHS only offers Wegovy for a maximum of two years, and whilst there is no NHS time limit on Mounjaro, which is in the process of being rolled out, funding concerns mean it\u2019s a good decade off from becoming widespread.<\/p>\n This is significant when you consider that in clinical trials, most patients who paused the drugs regained the weight they had lost and found it hard to maintain any lifestyle changes they\u2019d made. Change must be more deep-seated if these drugs are to affect any industry meaningfully.<\/p>\n This is why, for the time being, major companies\u2019 analysts, CEOs, and FOs are relatively cautious in \u2013 or refuse to be drawn on \u2013 their predictions.<\/p>\n Likewise, while the experts I spoke to in the restaurant, health, wellness, and tailoring businesses have seen changes in their respective fields, they are wary of overstating the impact of Ozempic<\/a>, but here\u2019s what some of them think.<\/p>\n The hospitality industry is already struggling thanks to rising costs and punishing tax increases.<\/p>\n In their report, Morgan Stanley anticipated a \u201csofter demand\u201d for restaurants as the use of obesity drugs increases, and it\u2019s certainly true that fast food outlets face a longer-term risk, with same-store sales growth forecast to fall between one to two per cent, according to the investment bank\u2019s report.<\/p>\n Yet many in the sector feel their impact is being overblown. Larger fast food chains like McDonald\u2019s were already adapting their menus to provide healthier options, and though there have been widespread reports of high chefs designing smaller dishes to cater for semaglutide users, financial pressures mean that this trend has been in motion for some time. <\/p>\n \u201cSome restaurants will already be looking to create smaller sized dishes so that they can continue to offer value for money, and this dovetails with people having smaller appetites,\u201d says Stefan Chomka, editor of leading hospitality magazine Restaurant.<\/p>\n James Chiavarini owns London\u2019s oldest family restaurant, Il Portico, and the more recent La Palombe, both of which are based in an affluent London area where many are likely to be on semaglutides. Yet, whilst \u201ca lot of regular customers have suddenly dropped several clothes sizes,\u201d he isn\u2019t adapting the menu for them, nor does he see the drugs as an existential threat. Chiavarini, whose restaurant has been around almost 60 years, has seen more than his fair share of social trends, and is highly sceptical. \u201cWe don\u2019t know if this one is going to stick around, or if it will all just blow away with the wind.\u201d<\/p>\n Fitness<\/p>\n At first, personal trainer Jamie Roach thought rising semaglutide usage in his local area might precipitate a decline in numbers at the Cranford Sports Club, where he works in Devon. But if anything, they\u2019ve been good for business. \u201cThe big concern, for those on these drugs, is muscle mass loss; the need to maintain and even gain muscle,\u201d he says, \u201cso the two [semaglutides and gyms] work alongside each other quite well.\u201d<\/p>\n What has changed is the nature of the workouts<\/a>. \u201cTraditionally, we\u2019d prioritise cardio\u2013 but if they\u2019re on semaglutides, weight is lost whatever we do,\u201d he points out. \u201cWe need to make sure it\u2019s the right weight being lost, and not muscle mass.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s still important to do some sort of cardio, but the priority is weight training \u2013 which was already a growing trend in gyms, fuelled by social media and a growing awareness of its importance for long-term health. One trend that might wane as a result is HIT (High-Intensity Training), as those on the drug will have less energy to complete it effectively.<\/p>\n \u201cIntense aerobic exercise can lower blood sugar levels, and when combined with GLP-1 meds, there is a risk this can lead to hypoglycemia and further decrease energy levels,\u201d says Jon Denoris, an exercise scientist and the owner of Club 51 Intelligent Fitness in London, which has developed lifestyle and fitness programmes for everyone from royalty to elite sports performers. <\/p>\n They have clients on semaglutides but will only work with those who have come to those drugs via a medical practitioner and are one of the first gyms to design programmes specifically for people on GLP-1 medications. \u201cThe main focus is on resistance training, which encourages the preservation of muscle and also improves metabolic health.\u201d<\/p>\n Health food and supplement industry <\/p>\n \u201cI have been in the food industry for 40 years, and in all my years, I have never seen anything so seismic as this,\u201d says April Preston, global product director at wellness retailer Holland and Barrett. For most of those years, Preston has been involved in developing products in response to trends analysis \u2013 but she doesn\u2019t call this a trend. \u201cI call it a movement.\u201d<\/p>\n Where manufacturers and retailers of sugary snacks and drinks might see the rise of the skinny jab as a threat, those selling supplements and nutritionally dense drinks and food see them as a huge opportunity. Preston recently returned from the world\u2019s biggest health and wellness conference in Los Angeles, where \u201cabout 50 per cent of supplement brands<\/a> specifically targeted GLP-1 users,\u201d she reports.<\/p>\n Side effects of weight loss jabs can include hair loss and collagen loss, which is huge news for supplement companies. Last June, Nestl\u00e9 launched a range of supplements for semaglutide users, including hair and collagen supplements to combat \u2018Ozempic face\u2019 \u2013 the infamous sagging that comes with facial fat loss. Food behemoth Unilever has also acquired supplement and nutrition companies in recent years. At H&B, sales of collagen supplements<\/a> have increased, as have products supporting healthy hair and skin.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the Ozempic-fuelled changes in tastes and drive toward what Preston calls \u2018nutritional cramming\u2019 \u2013 maximising the nutrition of each (smaller) mouthful. In response to users eating smaller portions, H&B is looking at developing \u201cnutritionally dense foods,\u201d as is Nestl\u00e9, which was the first major food company to launch a new brand explicitly targeted at semaglutide users last year. <\/p>\n Vital Pursuit will include frozen ready meals that are high in protein, a good source of fibre, contain essential nutrients, and are portion-aligned to a weight loss medication user\u2019s appetite.<\/p>\n Therapy and body positivity <\/p>\n There are psychological as well as physical risks around weight loss drugs, explains Cat Chappel, an integrative counsellor and member of the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP<\/a>). \u201cOne is that there\u2019s a \u2018magic drug\u2019 now, so some people think there\u2019s no excuse,\u201d she says. \u201cThe other \u2013 for those who\u2019ve taken it \u2013 is \u201cresentment, a feeling you\u2019ve cheated.\u201d Those who lose a lot of weight on the drugs can experience a loss of identity that accompanies both losing weight and interest in food, the social bonds, and the joy of cooking that food brings. Equally, there are psychological concerns about \u201cdeveloping an identity around a smaller weight, then putting it back on\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Passenger](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246646234.jpg\")
Some have predicted the mass use of weight loss drugs could mean a dramatic reduction in fuel bills for the aviation industry, because passengers will be lighter (Photo: Witthaya Prasongsin\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246305486.jpg\")
Half a million people in the UK are taking a GLP-1 drug such as Mounjaro or Ozempic, which mimic hormones responsible for appetite and satiety (Photo: Science Photo Library\/Getty Images)Restaurants <\/p>\n![\"Shot](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_246646189.jpg\")
Fitness trainers say the rise of semaglutide drugs has fuelled interest in weight training, as people who\u2019ve lost weight seek to maintain muscle mass (Photo: kupicoo\/E+\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are not the kind of place that would see a change in eating habits. Everything here is made from scratch; everything is refined. We\u2019ve seen a trend toward more responsible drinking \u2013 but that was happening anyway, and we have more, lower ABV wines in.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"SYDNEY,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/SEI_237055125.jpg\")
Novo Nordisk, which produces Wegovy and Ozempic, has become one of Europe\u2019s most valuable companies, revealing profits of $17.8bn (\u00a313.8m) earlier this year (Photo: Steve Christo\/Corbis\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n