New data from telehealth platform Noom suggests that people who put more effort into eating healthy and working out see better results from weight-loss drugs. This finding could have profound effects for the future of GLP-1 care, the company’s CEO says
GLP-1s are entering a new era.
Weight loss medication use has doubled across America, stigma continues to fade and the World Health Organization recently added the blockbuster drugs to its suggested treatment plan.
The question is no longer whether the drugs work, but why some patients see better results and remain engaged with treatment longer than others.
Now, new data from Noom suggests the answer may be less about the drugs themselves and more about the care model surrounding their use.
The telehealth platform, which offers Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound, metformin, and hormone replacement therapy, found that the most-engaged Noom users — those who interact with the app the most — lost 25.2% more weight, or an additional 8.3 pounds, at 40 weeks. They also remained on medication for more than twice as long as the least-engaged group.
The findings are promising, but even so, a familiar storyline continues to play out.
As Noom CEO Geoff Cook sees it, much of the public perception around GLP-1s has settled into the idea that when patients discontinue the drugs, they regain the weight — and sometimes more.
Consumers, meanwhile, are facing two competing messages: a pharma-driven view that suggests many patients may need to remain on weight-loss medication for the long haul versus emerging real-world data showing a majority of people maintain their weight loss, or lose even more, 18 months after discontinuing the medication.
“Clearly, some people do regain and some people do not,” Cook tells Athletech News.
The bigger question, he said, is what differentiates patients who maintain progress from those who don’t.
“I think that’s the fundamental narrative shift that I think, 10 years from now, will look strange — that we went all in on medication without the habit science and the behavioral science insights,” Cook said.
That is precisely where Noom sees an opening, drawing on its long-standing focus on psychology and behavior change to promote lasting results.
“Obviously a big claim,” Cook said. “But we’re funding the research this year to hopefully demonstrate that when you’re on a GLP-1 — as most people are, for a short period of time — it could still affect long-term change.”
It’s an area that Noom has already invested in. Members have access to the platform’s GLP-1 Companion app, a free tool that offers nutrition and medication tracking, side-effect support, AI-powered body composition scans, strength-focused workouts, glucose-curve forecasting, stress-relief activities and ways to build positive habits through gamification.
One of the most significant effects of GLP-1s is the reduction in food noise, Cook said, adding that it gives patients a greater sense of control over their choices and makes new habits feel achievable.
He authored a paper on the topic of food noise, which was recently published in Cureus. He is also pursuing a master’s degree at Tufts University in nutrition.
“We believe that the GLP-1 creates this catalytic window, where if you actually adopt better habits and make an effort at behavior change, you’re going to be more successful,” he explained.
From there, the shift toward actual control quickly comes into focus, as inflammation declines, weight comes off and movement becomes easier.
“A Whoop study suggested movement went up on a GLP-1,” Cook said. “You might adopt a walking habit, you might adopt a jogging habit. There may be new routines that become established in your life.”
Take away the GLP-1, Cook said, and some patients are left with new routines and beliefs about what they’re capable of sustaining.
Noom’s aim, Cook added, is to push habit science further so those changes have a better chance of sticking once patients begin tapering off medication. The company plans to roll out new features designed to help users identify cues, select the right micro-habits and receive reinforcement through virtual currency.
“I think GLP-1 is a catalyst for change,” he said.
Cook points to his own experience. He microdoses GLP-1s and has built a running habit — a daily mile to a nearby pond. The cue was simple – laying out running clothes the night before. The habit of a mile run was small and the reward was a cup of coffee afterward.
“That habit became a habit chain,” he said, noting that push-ups and supplements followed.
Looking ahead, he expects weight-loss medications to evolve into something closer to prescription-grade wellness.
“What people seem to be interested in is ‘I want to see my A1C go down, I want to see my triglycerides go down,’ I don’t think I’m seeing people take it to live longer, but it’s more like vitality, wanting to feel better,” he said.
