Noom Names “Power of Habit” Author Charles Duhigg as Advisor, Releases New Research Linking GLP-1 Success to Habit Formation

First-of-its-kind Noom Psychosocial GLP-1 Report finds more than 90% of GLP-1 users say medication helped them adopt healthier habits, with reported benefits extending beyond weight to quality of life, joy, and metabolic health

PRINCETON, N.J., May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Noom, the leading behavior change company, today announced that Charles Duhigg – Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author of The Power of Habit, one of the best-selling and most influential books on human behavior of the last decade – has joined the company as an advisor focused on maximizing the impact of GLP-1s as habit catalysts. The announcement coincides with proprietary new research published by Noom revealing the psychosocial benefits of GLP-1 use.

“We’re entering Phase 2 of the GLP-1 era,” said Charles Duhigg. “In Phase 1, GLP-1s went mainstream. The ‘miracle drug’ narrative dominated. But most patients discontinue treatment – 11 out of 12 stop taking GLP-1s within three years – and for many, the weight returns within 18 months.”

”Phase 2 marks a shift. The focus is no longer just weight loss – it’s what comes after. Medication and behavior work together to build lasting habits and, ultimately, identity change. Phase 2 is about maximizing the GLP-1 as a catalyst to drive lasting habit formation and identity change, where behavior outlives the medication. That’s the future Noom is tailor-made to deliver.”

The Noom Psychosocial GLP-1 Report¹, published today based on two surveys of 4,775 GLP-1 users, highlights this shift. Over 90% of GLP-1 users say the medication helped them adopt new healthy habits. Top new habits include eating higher protein foods, reducing ultra-processed food intake, hitting step goals, and engaging in resistance training. The report also highlights a “habit chaining” effect, with 76% of GLP-1 members reporting that one new habit leads to another, creating momentum over time. Crucially, the benefits extend well beyond the scale: 77% of GLP-1 users report higher overall quality of life, 64% report more joy in family life, and 63% more joy in hobbies — countering prevailing narratives that these medications diminish wellbeing. Members also report improvements in energy, sleep, mood, and metabolic health markers.

Noom’s GLP-1 Companion program is based on a simple idea: GLP-1 medications create a unique window where it’s easier to build healthy habits, because cravings are reduced and people have more mental bandwidth to focus on change. The Noom Psychosocial GLP-1 Report suggests that habits built during this window persist after medication withdrawal, with 96% of members sustaining at least some habits after stopping GLP-1 medication. Noom’s GLP-1 Companion drives 10x the engagement of the average health app — and members in the top quartile of app engagement stay on GLP-1 medication more than twice as long, with 2.4x higher odds of maintaining their habits after stopping.²

“We engineered Noom’s GLP-1 Companion over the last three years to help people build lasting habits during this unique window of change,” said Geoff Cook, CEO of Noom. “GLP-1s do more than reduce appetite. They also quiet the cognitive phenomenon of ‘food noise,’ making space for planning healthy behavior. Psychological research suggests self-control is a finite resource. We believe when less self-control is spent managing cravings, more can be directed toward building routines and habits that support whole-person health, from nutrition and movement to sleep.”

Duhigg, a New York Times best-selling author, is widely credited with popularizing the concept of “keystone habits” – small behaviors that drive broader change. At Noom, he will help translate behavioral science into practical frameworks for GLP-1 members, shaping content, coaching, and product strategy. Noom will be launching a “Habit School” video series available to every Noom member, where Duhigg provides evidence-based advice to make habits easier to adopt, particularly among those members taking GLP-1 medications.

The Science of Transformation

The clinical evidence supports Noom’s approach. An Oxford review found that people who stop GLP-1 therapy without meaningful lifestyle or behavioral support often regain weight within roughly 18 months. By contrast, behavior-change programs focused on building durable habits can extend weight maintenance for four years or longer. A Lancet study found that people who built an exercise habit while on a GLP-1 were more likely to maintain weight loss after stopping the drug than those who relied on medication alone. The difference is the habit infrastructure built during the treatment window – and that infrastructure is precisely what Noom’s platform is designed to create. ​​Noom’s own data reinforces this: members who practiced more Noom habits post-discontinuation regained meaningfully less weight, maintaining approximately 80% of their weight loss in the critical first six months after stopping.³

“The bottom line is behavioral support unlocks better medication outcomes,” said Duhigg. “GLP-1s quiet food noise and unlock capacity for change – but what people build during that window determines what lasts. When medication is paired with structured lifestyle support, outcomes are stronger and more durable than either alone. That’s where Noom comes in. Its industry-leading GLP-1 Companion integrates coaching, habit tracking, AI-powered insights, and clinical support to help members translate short-term biological changes into lasting health outcomes.”

As advisor, Duhigg will work directly with Noom’s product, content, and coaching teams to translate behavioral science into practical frameworks for GLP-1 members. His appointment reinforces Noom’s position at the center of the next phase of obesity care – where medication initiates change, but behavior determines what lasts.

About Noom:
Noom is the leading behavior change company, empowering everyone, everywhere to live better longer – every day. Noom pairs sustainable behavior change with prescription-grade catalysts to make lasting change feel easy. Noom Health partners with top health plans and employers to offer millions of Americans a suite of metabolic health solutions – including Noom Clinical (Noom Med, Noom SmartRx, and NoomRx programs), Noom Weight, Noom Diabetes, and Noom Diabetes Prevention Program. Noom is building the future of preventive care and longevity medicine, leading the convergence of wearable-monitored behavior change, clinical care, diagnostics, and pharmacy into an integrated, AI-enhanced system that drives individualized, meaningful health outcomes.

Noom has received multiple grants from the NIH for digital health research and innovation and has been recognized by the CDC for its groundbreaking diabetes prevention programs. With offices in New York City and Princeton, NJ, Noom has been recognized as a Time100 Industry Leader, on Newsweek’s Most Trusted Brands list, and by Inc. and Fortune as a best place to work. Learn more at noom.com, subscribe to our blog, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Contact:
Daniel Zahler
comms@noom.com

¹Survey Methodology for Noom Psychosocial GLP-1 Report:

Two surveys were fielded between February and March 2026. All weight data is self-reported.

• Survey 2 (S2): Surveyed 2,000 current and former GLP-1 users from the general population (average age 49; 42% male / 58% female). Topics included post-discontinuation outcomes, outcomes of companion program use, and habit sustenance.
• Survey 3 (S3): Surveyed 2,775 Noom members who are current or former GLP-1 users (average age 55; 13% male / 87% female). Topics included habit formation & durability, relationships with food, and health identity outcomes following discontinuation.
  
  

² Survey of Noom GLP-1 members who used the program >4 months, were >3 months post discontinuation, were not current Noom subscribers, and were not currently taking a GLP-1. Those who had "high habits persistence" were those in the 75% percentile of engagement. Those who had "low habits persistence" were those in the 25th percentile of engagement. Data collected November and December 2025.

³ Based on a survey analysis of 169 GLP-1Rx users who stopped using a GLP-1 medication in the past 3-12 months. Data collected November and December 2025, six months after the average discontinuation month of five months on the program. Users retained 78% of their weight lost.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6b8c0d7a-2154-4867-82d3-f7e88a9793ee

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