The study followed nearly 17 million people, the majority of whom were in the 26-75 age range, and found that after climbing steadily since 2013, rates of obesity in the U.S. fell 0.15% in 2023, according to a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) on Dec. 13.

The secret agent in the decrease might be semaglutide, a GLP-1 receptor agonist that fuels popular weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, according to the study authors.

Obesity dipped slightly in U.S. adults last year, research found — the first time in more than a decade that the country has seen a downward trend. That might be due, in part, to the recent rise of blockbuster weight loss drugs like Ozempic, according to the study authors.

U.S. obesity rates have decreased for the first time in more than a decade, with new weight loss medications potentially playing a role in the turnaround.

Results of the study indicate that Black women in the U.S., ages 66-75, saw the largest decrease in obesity between 2022-2023.