John Drews, a Chicago attorney, transformed his lifestyle after taking GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, losing a total of 100 pounds in two years. This shift led to a complete overhaul of his discretionary spending habits, with a marked reduction in purchases related to food, luxuries, and vacations, potentially changing the way individuals spend. The growing number of GLP-1 users, estimated at 16 million, could significantly influence the economy, as healthier lifestyles translate to lower healthcare costs and increased productivity, possibly boosting GDP by 1% if uptake increases.
He lost 25 pounds the first year, then 75 pounds more the following year. Afterward, Drews says, he didn't just feel like a different person. He basically was one - with food, clothing, workout and vacation habits that have almost completely overridden everything he used to spend his money on, to the tune of more than $100,000 annually.
There's evidence that the demographic of people on the drugs overlaps with those who like to spend, a group some analysts have dubbed "over consumers." Cutting their daily calorie counts in half - or more - is resulting in all sorts of interesting consequences still coming to light.
Jan Hatzius, chief economist at Goldman Sachs, predicts that if 60 million people take the medications by 2028, GDP would be boosted by 1 percent - or several trillion dollars. Hatzius's analysis was based primarily on the idea that healthier people mean a healthier workforce and, in turn, lower health-care costs.
Collection
[
|
...
]