An analysis said leadership in the diet market is shifting from traditional meal plans and exercise to GLP-1 obesity drugs. Managing side effects from the spread of obesity drugs is also emerging as a new market.
According to the "2026 diet market intent data report" released by the intent data-based marketing AI corporations Ascent AI on the 25th, major search volumes related to diet vlogs and meal plans fell 50%–58% from a year earlier, while active new keywords related to obesity drugs rose 40% over the past two years.
This analysis used Ascent AI's search intent analysis engine ListeningMind and examined about 86,000 diet-related search keywords generated over four years from July 2022 to June 2026.
In the obesity drug market, "Mounjaro" surged. Average monthly searches over the past year reached 465,942, up 2,809% from a year earlier, surpassing "Wegovy" (327,967).
There was also rising demand for substitutes due to the expense of the drugs and their injection method. Searches for "natural Wegovy" jumped 4,540%, "cucumber Mounjaro" 760,000%, and "Japan Mounjaro" 271%.
Managing side effects stemming from the spread of obesity drugs is also emerging as a new market. As interest grows in gastrointestinal disorders, hair loss, and muscle loss, demand is expected to expand for "medication companion care," including nutritional supplementation.
Shifts also appeared in the blood sugar and protein markets. Searches for "blood sugar care supplements" rose 65%, and while traditional fitness protein powders fell 51%, ready-to-drink (RTD) and ready-meal-type proteins rose 47%.
Ascent AI said the diet market is segmenting beyond simple weight loss into obesity drugs and side-effect management, as well as nutrition and muscle care, and analyzed that new business opportunities are expanding in related food and health supplement markets.