Health Update: Super Bowl Gets Health Conscious In 2026 – What Experts Say

GLP-1 drugs—which 12% of Americans are currently taking for weight loss—are also top of mind in a country where 1 in 3 adults is overweight. The patient rolls will likely swell as more GLP-1s come out in pill form this year. Last year, online pharmacy Hims & Hers was first to the line with a GLP-1 ad, and will have another one in the 2026 game. Ro, another online pharmacy, will make its Super Bowl debut with tennis icon Serena Williams touting the broader health benefits of GLP-1s.

Since the drugs’ side effects include impairing the body’s ability to absorb protein and other nutrients, they work to the benefit of products that supply those nutrients. The food landscape is already changing because of them: Starbucks and Dunkin’ rolled out high-protein drinks in 2025. Meanwhile, Kraft Mac & Cheese has seen its market share fall six points to 39% as contenders like Goodles—low carb, high protein, and fortified with 21 nutrients—arrived on the scene.

For GLP-1 patients, Wyatt said, “the recommended diet is more protein, more fiber, more hydration, less sugar, less alcohol, less saturated fat, less processed meat—and so we see that play out” in Super Bowl advertising.

More than physical health

The rising tide of health awareness has lifted mental wellness to greater visibility in this year’s Super Bowl ads, too.

Nearly 80% of Americans now believe that mental health has a direct impact on physical health, according to the American Psychiatric Association. Destigmatization of mental health seeded the ground for Dove’s 2025 Super Bowl spot about the dangers of negative body image in young girls, which leads to 1 in 2 dropping out of sports.

It will return this year with the same message.

“We know that staying in sports helps girls thrive in multiple aspects of life, and the Big Game provides a unique opportunity for us to raise awareness of this issue and spark a meaningful conversation,” said Kathryn Holl Fernandez, head of Dove marketing and brand purpose in North America, in a statement.

Health has become an issue that’s taken over Americans’ consciousness in a way that advertisers can’t help but notice, according to veteran branding expert and consultant Allen Adamson.

“Health has become the rare common ground in an otherwise polarized America,” Adamson said. “You can’t get people to agree on much these days, but most Americans, regardless of politics, will nod along to the idea that we need to eat better.”

That makes positioning around health a smart marketing strategy, he added. “It’s a safe harbor in stormy cultural waters.”