A pharmacy in Spain created a special service to help people lose weight and improve their health through personalized nutrition advice. Over 12 years, 1,638 people participated in the program, with most wanting to lose weight. The results were impressive: the percentage of people with obesity dropped from 70% to just 20%, while people at a healthy weight increased from 3% to 30%. The more appointments people attended, the more weight they lost. This study shows that your local pharmacy could be an important place to get help managing weight and preventing serious health problems.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether a pharmacy-based nutrition counseling service could help people lose weight and improve their overall health over a 12-year period.
  • Who participated: 1,638 people (mostly women) who visited a pharmacy in Lanzarote, Spain between 2012 and 2024 seeking help with weight management and health improvement.
  • Key finding: People who received ongoing nutrition advice at the pharmacy dramatically reduced their obesity rates from 70% down to 20%, while those at healthy weights increased from 3% to 30%. People who attended more appointments lost significantly more weight.
  • What it means for you: Your local pharmacy may be a convenient and effective place to get professional help with weight loss and nutrition. Regular follow-up appointments appear to be important for success. However, this was one pharmacy’s experience, so results may vary in other locations.

The Research Details

Researchers looked at 12 years of records from a single pharmacy that offered nutrition counseling services. They collected information from 1,638 patients who visited the pharmacy for help with weight and health management. For each patient, they recorded basic information like age and sex, plus health measurements like weight, height, body fat percentage, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. They tracked how many times each person visited and what happened to their health over time.

This type of study is called a quasi-experimental design, which means researchers observed what happened naturally without randomly assigning people to different groups. Instead, they compared each person’s health measurements before they started the program with their measurements after completing it. This approach allowed them to see real-world results from an actual pharmacy service.

This research approach is valuable because it shows what actually happens when people use a pharmacy’s nutrition service in real life, rather than in a controlled laboratory setting. By tracking the same patients over many years, researchers could see long-term results and understand whether the service truly helped people maintain weight loss and improve their health. The large number of patients (1,638) makes the findings more reliable than a smaller study.

Strengths: The study tracked a large number of real patients over a very long time period (12 years), which provides strong evidence of lasting results. Researchers measured multiple health factors beyond just weight. Limitations: This was a single pharmacy, so results might be different in other locations. The study didn’t include a comparison group of people who didn’t receive the service, making it harder to know if the pharmacy service alone caused the improvements or if other factors helped. Most participants were women, so results may not apply equally to men.

What the Results Show

The most striking result was the dramatic change in obesity rates. Before starting the program, 70% of patients were classified as obese. After completing their nutrition consultations, only 20% remained obese—a reduction of 50 percentage points. At the same time, the percentage of people at a healthy weight increased from just 3% to 30%.

Another important finding was the relationship between how often people visited and how much weight they lost. Patients who attended more appointments consistently lost more weight than those who came fewer times. This suggests that regular follow-up and ongoing support from the pharmacist made a real difference in success.

Beyond weight loss, patients also experienced improvements in their health conditions. As people lost weight, the number of health problems and symptoms they experienced decreased. This means the weight loss wasn’t just about appearance—it actually helped people feel better and reduced their medical issues.

While weight loss was the main goal for 98.7% of patients, a small number had different objectives: 0.5% wanted to gain weight (possibly for health reasons), and 0.8% wanted to manage blood sugar or other blood test results. The program was able to help patients with these different goals as well. The study also noted that most patients were women, suggesting that women may be more likely to seek nutrition counseling at pharmacies, or that the pharmacy’s marketing may have appealed more to women.

This research supports previous studies showing that regular nutrition counseling and follow-up appointments help people lose weight and keep it off. The dramatic improvement in obesity rates aligns with research showing that personalized, ongoing support is more effective than one-time advice. The finding that more visits lead to better results matches what other weight loss programs have found. However, this is one of the longer-term studies of a pharmacy-based service, providing valuable evidence that pharmacies can be effective weight management centers.

The biggest limitation is that this study only looked at one pharmacy in one location (Lanzarote, Spain), so the results might not apply everywhere. Different pharmacies, communities, and populations might have different results. The study didn’t have a control group—people who didn’t receive the service—so we can’t be completely certain the pharmacy service alone caused the weight loss. Some patients might have also changed their diet or exercise on their own. The study population was mostly women, so we don’t know if men would have similar results. Finally, we don’t know what happened to patients after they stopped coming to the pharmacy—did they keep the weight off long-term?

The Bottom Line

If you’re struggling with weight management, consider asking your pharmacist about nutrition counseling services (moderate confidence). Regular appointments appear important—aim for consistent follow-up rather than one-time advice (moderate confidence). This service may be especially helpful if you have health conditions related to weight, like high blood pressure or blood sugar problems (moderate confidence). However, this should complement, not replace, advice from your doctor.

This research is most relevant for adults who are overweight or obese and looking for accessible help with weight management. It’s particularly useful for people who want professional guidance but may find it difficult to access a doctor or nutritionist. People with health conditions related to weight (high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol) should especially consider this option. However, people with eating disorders or certain medical conditions should work with their doctor before starting any weight loss program.

Based on this study, people who attended regularly saw meaningful weight loss within their first several months of appointments. However, the most dramatic improvements happened over the course of 1-2 years of consistent follow-up. Don’t expect overnight results—sustainable weight loss typically takes time. The good news is that the longer people stayed with the program, the better their results, suggesting that persistence pays off.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track your pharmacy appointment attendance and weight at each visit. Set a goal to attend appointments consistently (e.g., monthly) and monitor your weight trend over 3-month periods rather than week-to-week fluctuations.
  • Use the app to schedule and remind yourself of pharmacy nutrition appointments. Log your weight and body measurements after each visit, and note any improvements in health symptoms (like better energy, lower blood pressure readings, or improved blood sugar levels).
  • Create a long-term tracking dashboard showing your obesity category status (obese, overweight, normal weight) and monitor your progress quarterly. Track the number of appointments attended alongside weight changes to see your personal relationship between consistency and results.

This research describes the results from one pharmacy’s nutrition service and should not be considered medical advice. Before starting any weight loss program or nutrition counseling, consult with your doctor, especially if you have existing health conditions, take medications, or have a history of eating disorders. Results from this study may not apply to all individuals or locations. A pharmacist can provide valuable nutrition guidance, but they should work alongside your primary care doctor, not replace medical care. Always discuss any significant health changes or concerns with your healthcare provider.