60% of South Korea’s diet pill users aren’t obese: Report

SEOUL – South Korea’s social preference for slim body types has led many people who are not medically obese to take diet pills.

Such users account for nearly 60 per cent of diet pill takers in the country, according to a report released on March 16 by a state research institute.

The study also raised concerns about the risks of prolonged use, warning that many users experience significant side effects, including insomnia and clinical depression.

“Social pressure to diet, the expansion of mass media, the competitive, market-oriented healthcare system and the commodification of appearance have combined to shape both the perception and the reality of medication misuse,” a researcher at the institute said.

The report warned that the drugs can cause a range of side effects, and many users continue taking them despite the risks.

Among those surveyed, 73.5 per cent said they had experienced side effects after taking the medication. Insomnia was reported by 66.7 per cent of respondents, while 25.4 per cent said they experienced depression, suggesting the drugs can have serious psychological consequences.

Despite these risks, many users continued taking the pills. Only 23.3 per cent said they completely stopped using the medication after experiencing adverse effects, highlighting what researchers described as both the addictive nature of the drugs and the strong social pressure to lose weight.

The survey, conducted by the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, included 257 South Koreans aged 19 to 64 who had taken oral appetite suppressants between 2022 and 2025. Because the study focused only on oral medications, injectable weight-loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro were not included.

Among respondents, 59.5 per cent said they took diet pills despite not being diagnosed with obesity. Meanwhile, 43.5 per cent said they used the medication after receiving a medical diagnosis of obesity or related conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

Another 8.6 per cent said they began using the drugs based on recommendations from acquaintances, while 3.9 per cent said they took them out of curiosity, raising concerns about the misuse of medications that are classified as controlled substances.

Medical guidelines recommend that appetite suppressants be prescribed only to overweight or obese patients with a body mass index of 27 or higher, and typically only for short-term treatment. In practice, however, many users take the drugs for far longer.

The survey found that 37 per cent had taken the pills for three months to one year, while 17.7 per cent said they had used them for more than a year.

The report called for stronger government oversight of diet medications and clearer explanations from physicians about potential psychiatric side effects.

“Physicians should fully explain the possibility of psychiatric side effects when prescribing diet pills and carefully monitor patients’ symptoms,” the researcher said. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK