India, May 6 -- A new study from Rice University suggests that public reactions to the weight-loss medications go beyond simple admiration or acceptance. In some cases, people who use them may face more criticism than those who do not lose weight at all.
The research, led by Erin Standen, an assistant professor of psychological sciences at Rice, and published in the International Journal of Obesity, asked participants to evaluate a fictional individual based on their weight history. The person either lost weight using a GLP-1 medication, lost weight through diet and exercise, or did not lose weight at all.
"The GLP-1 users were socially penalized not just compared to someone who lost weight through diet and exercise," Standen said. "They ...