GLP-1 medication use is associated with stronger implicit preferences for healthy foods based on enjoyment and taste

The present study examined whether GLP-1 medication use was associated with differences in implicit and explicit evaluations of healthy and junk foods. Implicit preferences were measured using the Implicit Association Test in two separate conditions employing different types of evaluative terms. One condition used evaluation terms related to food enjoyment and taste, whereas the other used terms related to food desirability. Explicit preferences were assessed via ratings of healthiness, tastiness, and irresistibility. The results revealed stronger implicit preferences for healthy foods when evaluations were based on enjoyment and taste among medication users relative to non-users. Further analyses revealed stronger enjoyment-based implicit preferences for healthy foods among semaglutide users than among non-users, whereas no corresponding difference was found between tirzepatide users and non-users. No significant differences were found when evaluations were based on food desirability. Moreover, explicit ratings did not differ by medication status, suggesting that semaglutide users may be unaware of their implicit preference for healthy foods.