GLP-1 Drugs: Smell and Taste Risks, Soaring Poison Calls, and Reshaped Food Demand
GLP-1 receptor agonists are linked to a higher risk of smell and taste disturbances, while poison control calls involving semaglutide have soared since 2021. The drugs produce significant weight loss and are reshaping U.S. food demand, with roughly one in eight adults now taking them.
New research shows that GLP-1 receptor agonists — the blockbuster drugs originally developed for type 2 diabetes — are associated with a higher risk of smell and taste disturbances, while poison control calls involving semaglutide have soared since the drug was approved for weight management in 2021.
The JAMA Network study drew on electronic health records of people aged 18 or older with type 2 diabetes and no previous record of smell or taste disturbances. Over a period ranging from two months to three years, researchers found that those on GLP-1 meds like Ozempic or Mounjaro had an increased risk of changes to their smell and taste compared with those who did not take them. Common changes include anosmia (loss of smell), parosmia (where pleasant scents smell bad or chemical) and parageusia (where things taste wrong, or there is a phantom flavor when you're not tasting anything). The study authors wrote that “GLP-1RA therapy is associated with a higher risk of smell and taste disturbance, highlighting the need for closer monitoring and greater public health awareness.”
Separately, poison control calls involving semaglutide (Ozempic and Wegovy) soared after the drug was approved for weight management in 2021. Researchers from the University of Texas linked the increase to accidental dosing mistakes rather than intentional misuse. Before 2021, poison control centers typically handled between 1,000 and 1,500 GLP-1RA-related cases each year; by 2023, they had recorded more than 8,000 calls. A common mistake was taking the medication daily instead of weekly, or starting immediately with the highest dose instead of following the recommended step-by-step schedule.
GLP-1 receptor agonists are synthetic, long-acting versions of the incretin hormone GLP-1, which stimulates glucose-dependent insulin release, suppresses inappropriate glucagon, slows gastric emptying, and acts on central satiety pathways. Once-weekly injectables dominate the market, and an oral semaglutide tablet is now available. Clinical trial data show the following mean weight losses:
- Semaglutide 2.4 mg (Wegovy): ~14.9% at 68 weeks (STEP 1)
- Tirzepatide 15 mg (Zepbound): ~20.9% at 72 weeks (SURMOUNT-1)
- Liraglutide 3 mg (Saxenda): ~8% at 56 weeks
About 10–15% of patients are non-responders. Loss of lean body mass is a class effect of rapid weight loss: without adequate protein intake and resistance training, 25–40% of weight lost can be lean mass.
The drugs have also reshaped food demand. As of late 2025, roughly one in eight U.S. adults reported taking a GLP-1 medication for weight loss, roughly double the share from a year earlier. Adults on these medications consume roughly 21% fewer calories and cut grocery spending by roughly 5–6%. JPMorgan estimates the trend could erase $30–$55 billion in annual U.S. food and beverage sales by 2030, when it expects about 25 million Americans to be on treatment. Goldman Sachs estimates the 2035 user base at nearly 70 million. The U.S. cattle herd has hit a 75-year low, according to USDA data.
The obesity drug emerged from a diabetes research program that was following a thread it had not anticipated. Novo Nordisk was studying GLP-1 receptor agonists for glycemic control in type 2 diabetics when researchers noticed that patients were also losing remarkable amounts of weight. The first GLP-1 to market was Byetta (exenatide), approved for type 2 diabetes in 2005; Saxenda (liraglutide) was approved for chronic weight management in 2014. The newer weekly injections produce average weight losses of 15% to 20%, which had never been seen before with an FDA-approved weight-loss drug.
GLP-1 receptors are proteins found on cell surfaces throughout the body, and researchers are investigating effects beyond weight loss, including potential longevity benefits. A 2023 study found that people with obesity who took liraglutide and exercised regularly after diet-induced weight loss experienced greater reductions in metabolic syndrome severity and abdominal fat. The GLP-1 wave has also boosted interest in fermentation-derived peptides in food, though experts caution that “the interest is justified but the expectations are out of sync.” These peptides are not designed to mimic GLP-1 drugs and don't act on the same receptors.