The growing use of GLP 1 medications is reshaping the treatment of diabetes and obesity across the United States. A 2025 KFF poll reported that 12% of American adults were currently using a GLP 1 medication and 18% had taken one at some point. These medications mimic a hormone that plays a role in regulating blood sugar, while also slowing digestion and helping patients feel satisfied with less food. Certain medications commonly included in discussions of this category target another hormonal pathway as well.
The resulting reduction in appetite is an important part of the therapeutic effect, but it also alters the nutritional equation for patients. A multidisciplinary advisory published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that GLP 1 medications can decrease daily calorie consumption by between 16% and 39%. As patients begin consuming considerably less food, the nutritional value of what they do eat becomes increasingly important. A smaller overall intake still needs to provide sufficient protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and hydration.
Research is beginning to indicate how difficult that balance can be for some patients to achieve without structured guidance. A preliminary 2026 study published in the Journal of Translational Medicine followed 387 adults taking GLP 1 or dual GIP and GLP 1 medications. Researchers recorded an average daily intake of 753 calories, with participants consuming an average of 33.4 grams of protein and 7.2 grams of fiber. Fewer than 10% reached recommended levels for protein, fiber, vitamin D, calcium, or potassium. While those results cannot be assumed to represent everyone receiving treatment, they illustrate a potentially important gap in the way GLP 1 care is approached. A reduction in food intake is not necessarily the same as adequate nutrition.
Nutritional considerations also extend beyond the amount and composition of food being consumed. A 2025 review published in the International Journal of Obesity, involving 33,354 people, found nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation among the most common gastrointestinal effects associated with GLP 1 medications. The findings add weight to the case for healthcare practices to monitor symptoms and nutritional intake while providing patients with continued support as their treatment progresses.
For Jena Salisbury, founder of Innate Clinical Nutrition, this is where an important weakness can emerge within clinical practice. With more than 13 years of experience in clinical nutrition and functional medicine, Salisbury believes the primary challenge is not the availability of nutritional information. It is creating systems that consistently translate that knowledge into patient care. “Nutrition cannot remain a conversation that happens around treatment,” Salisbury says. “It needs to be built into the care pathway so patients receive structured support as their treatment and nutritional needs evolve.”
Salisbury says this view was shaped through her work helping medical practices incorporate functional health services. She encountered clinics that had invested considerably in supplements, testing and different treatment modalities, yet lacked a coordinated process connecting those services with staff education and continued patient support. In her view, introducing additional services without establishing how they fit together can create uncertainty among both clinicians and employees about their role within a patient’s overall treatment.
The expansion of GLP 1 therapy makes that problem particularly apparent. Salisbury explains that experiencing less hunger does not automatically result in a nutritionally balanced diet. As appetite and food intake change, patients may require assistance with meal structure, protein consumption, hydration, digestive issues and evolving symptoms. That support must also operate within the parameters established by the clinician responsible for prescribing the medication. “A powerful medication still operates within a whole person,” she says. “The patient needs a nutritional foundation that can support the treatment, reveal emerging concerns and help the clinical team make better informed decisions.”
Through Innate Clinical Nutrition, Salisbury creates structured nutritional programs that practitioners and healthcare practices can incorporate into existing patient services. Its Burn & Balance program, which Salisbury views as particularly applicable for practices supporting GLP 1 patients, establishes a consistent nutritional foundation while allowing room for individual clinical assessment. Rather than presenting the program as a single dietary solution suitable for everyone, she describes it as a framework from which qualified practitioners can make adjustments based on medical history, laboratory results, treatment response, and the specific needs of each patient.
Salisbury believes that balance between consistency and personalization is particularly important within functional nutrition. “Establishing consistent fundamentals does not eliminate precision. It gives clinicians a clearer baseline from which to observe patterns and determine where personalization may be appropriate,” she says. Through her CNS Unfiltered podcast, she also explores the role Certified Nutrition Specialists can play in bringing research informed nutritional expertise into areas including medicine, mental healthcare, aesthetics and other clinical environments.
As healthcare continues to introduce new medications, diagnostic capabilities and more personalized approaches to treatment, Salisbury argues that clinical nutrition needs systems capable of developing alongside those advances. “Healthcare does not need another flood of nutrition information,” she says. “It needs qualified professionals, defined responsibilities and practical systems that make nutrition part of what happens every day. When implementation becomes routine, clinical nutrition can function as healthcare infrastructure rather than an optional addition.”
