“Eating disorders are on the rise. GLP-1s could make things worse.”

Key points

• Global incidence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa rose 71% from 1990 to 2023.
• By 2023, about 18.1 million people had one of these two disorders.
• Researchers estimate 18.1 million cases may underrepresent total eating disorders.
• GLP-1 weight-loss drugs are increasingly used and may exacerbate eating disorders.
• Experts cite social media, pandemic isolation, and access to GLP-1s as contributing factors.