Why U.S. obesity rates have fallen for the first time in decades

Obesity rates in the United States have been rising in recent decades, but that trend may be changing. By 2023, there will be a slight decline in the number of obese adults, suggesting the country has reached a tipping point in this public health crisis. Some have suggested that the rise of weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wigovy may be driving the change. But it’s not that simple.

Obesity rates began to rise in the United States in the 1970s. Between 1976 and 1980, 15 percent of adults…