Noom Review: What the Research Actually Shows

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This Noom review answers one question first: does the app help people lose weight? In the three studies below that compared Noom users with a comparison group, the Noom groups ended up lighter than the comparison groups at points from 12 weeks to 68 weeks, and the comparison groups lost little or gained a little. Noom paid for the largest one, and Noom employees were authors on all three. There is no Noom affiliate link on this page, and I am not a doctor, so I stick to what the papers and Noom’s own pages say.

If you are comparing programs, my guide to the best weight loss programs for women over 40 explains how to judge any of them, and Noom vs Weight Watchers sets Noom beside its best-known rival. This page is only about Noom.

Table of Contents

What is Noom and how does it work?

Noom is a phone app that pairs daily lessons, food logging and chat coaching. On its own site, Noom says its Noom Weight program was designed by psychologists and focuses on behavior change, daily lessons and food logging, and that Noom Med adds clinicians who can prescribe weight loss medicine if it is appropriate (Noom homepage FAQ, read October 21, 2026). The homepage also describes “bite-sized, daily lessons,” human coaching plus AI support, meal logging, water tracking and on-demand exercise classes called Noom Move.

In a June 2026 press release, Noom says Noom Weight draws on cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy and dialectical behavior therapy. That is Noom describing itself, and the press release is marketing, not a study.

How does Noom’s food color system work?

Noom puts foods in three colors by calorie density. Its help page says green foods are the least calorie-dense, yellow foods are moderate and orange foods are the most calorie-dense, and that you should eat orange foods less often and in smaller amounts (Noom help page, read October 21, 2026). The same page says the system adjusts some foods beyond calories. Whole-fat dairy lands in orange, and diet sodas land in yellow because of low satiety, for example. It lists nuts, nut butters and oils as orange examples and says the goal is not to avoid orange foods but to balance them with higher-volume foods.

On coaching, Noom’s homepage FAQ says every user gets AI and human-led coaching by chat and that many of its coaches are board-certified health professionals. That is the company’s own statement.

Does Noom work for weight loss?

The published results are positive, with a pattern worth knowing: the people who ran or paid for most of the studies work for Noom. The table lists what each study measured.

Study	Who was studied	Length	Result	Noom connection
McCallum et al., Obesity Science and Practice, 2026 (randomized trial)	427 adults, average age 45, 83 percent women, average BMI 32.5	16 weeks of program, follow-up to 68 weeks	Noom group lost 1.2 percent of body weight at 16 weeks versus a 0.6 percent gain in the educational control group; at 68 weeks, 4.1 percent lost versus a 1.5 percent gain	Funded by Noom; several authors are Noom employees
Toro-Ramos et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2020 (randomized trial)	202 adults with prediabetes, average age about 57, about 7 in 10 women	12 months	Noom group weighed 2.64 kg less than the usual care group at 6 months, and the gap persisted at 12 months	Two authors are Noom employees with stock options
Ju et al., JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2022 (pilot, not randomized)	110 Korean primary care patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol or metabolic syndrome, average age 53	12 weeks	App group lost 1.43 kg versus 0.13 kg in the control group	Two authors are Noom employees
Michaelides et al., BMJ Open Diabetes Research and Care, 2016	43 adults with overweight or obesity and prediabetes	24 weeks	Average loss of 6.58 percent of body weight in starters; no comparison group is described in the abstract	All five authors list Noom Inc. as their affiliation
Chin et al., Scientific Reports, 2016 (retrospective)	35,921 Noom Coach users, 78 percent women, average age about 33	Median 267 days of use	77.9 percent reported a decrease in weight while using the app	Used data logged in the Noom Coach app

What did the largest randomized trial find?

The 2026 trial in Obesity Science and Practice randomized 427 adults to the 16-week Noom Weight program or to weekly emailed newsletters adapted from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Noom users were down 1.2 percent of body weight at week 16 and 4.1 percent at week 68, while the control group was up 0.6 percent and then 1.5 percent. The authors list limits: recruitment through social media ads, self-reported data, weight measured on each person’s own scale and reported by them, and a sample that was mostly highly educated white women. The study was supported by Noom Inc.

For perspective, the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) suggests an initial goal of 5 to 10 percent of starting weight within 6 months (NIDDK, read October 21, 2026). Four percent after more than a year is a statistically significant difference from the control group, and on a 200 pound body it is about 8 pounds.

What did the earlier Noom studies find?

The 2020 trial in people with prediabetes tested a coach-guided mobile version of the CDC Diabetes Prevention Program delivered through Noom. It found a 2.64 kg difference at 6 months versus usual care, and the authors report that program completers lost 5.6 percent at 6 months, though a completer analysis leaves out people who did not complete the program. The 2022 Korean study was a 12-week, non-randomized pilot in which patients who agreed to use the app lost 1.43 kg against 0.13 kg in the control group, and, as the authors note, the app group tended to be younger and more educated, though the baseline differences were not statistically significant. The 2016 prediabetes paper had 43 people and its abstract describes no comparison group. All three had Noom employees among the authors.

The biggest sample is the 2016 report on 35,921 Noom Coach users. It is a retrospective look at app data, so it cannot show that the app caused the loss. The authors note that the data were self-reported and that it was uncertain what share of all users met the inclusion criteria. Within the group, users who logged dinner more often were more likely to lose weight, and users who weighed in more often were less likely to regain it, which fits the idea that engagement matters but does not prove it.

Is the research independent?

Mostly no. The 2026 trial was funded by Noom, and four of the five studies in the table list Noom employees or Noom Inc. as author affiliations. The fifth, the 2016 Scientific Reports paper, lists Korean universities, Geference Inc. and KPMG, and analyzed data logged in Noom’s app. Company-funded trials are not worthless, and the 2026 trial used randomization and a control group. Results from researchers with no financial tie to Noom would still add confidence. A separate Noom-sponsored trial run with Mount Sinai randomized 600 people to the Noom Healthy Weight program or a digital control version of the app without coaching with follow-up planned to 30 months, according to its 2022 protocol paper.

Does Noom work for women over 40?

The research does not answer that directly. The 2026 trial’s average age was 45 and 83 percent of participants were women, which is the closest match in the table, but the 2016, 2020 and 2026 papers do not mention menopause at all. Menopause was not something these trials tested. My guide to weight loss during menopause covers that side.

Noom describes its program as daily lessons, food logging and coaching aimed at habits. If habits are your sticking point, that is the part it targets. If you already log your food and know what to eat, ask what the lessons would add. My piece on the weight loss mindset goes into how habits and self-talk fit together.

How much does Noom cost?

Noom does not publish one simple price, so check the number at checkout before you commit. Noom’s homepage says “in most cases” you can start with a free trial, and its footnotes list more than one starting price for its medication programs, stated as new-account pricing effective March 31, 2026. The Noom Med page says all Noom Med plans auto-renew but can be canceled anytime (Noom, read October 21, 2026). I am not listing a dollar figure because Noom’s own pages show different ones.

Before you subscribe, write down the renewal date and find the cancel button inside the app. NIDDK also suggests asking any program for the total cost from beginning to end.

What is Noom Med and does Noom offer GLP-1 medicine?

Yes, through a separate track. Noom’s page says Noom Med requires a BMI of 30 or higher, or 27 or higher with a weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, sleep apnea or high cholesterol, and that a licensed clinician decides whether a prescription is appropriate. The homepage says medicines require consultation and a prescription through Noom’s platform, that not all customers will qualify, and that any compounded medicines are not approved by the FDA or reviewed for quality, safety or efficacy.

The clinical trials above are about Noom’s behavior program, not Noom Med. Nothing in them tells you how Noom Med performs. For what the labels and trials show about the drugs themselves, read my GLP-1 weight loss guide. A prescriber, not an app, decides if one fits you.

Who may not do well on Noom?

Noom itself says you cannot use the service if you are under 18, pregnant, have an eating disorder, or are underweight, defined as a BMI under 18.5 (Noom homepage FAQ). If you have ever had disordered eating, talk to your clinician or a registered dietitian first.

Tracking food is the other catch. A 2017 study of 493 college students found that those who used calorie trackers reported more eating concern and dietary restraint, and the authors suggested that for some people these tools may do more harm than good. That study was a small survey of college students and was not about Noom. In the 2026 trial, by contrast, both groups reduced eating disorder risk scores over time, according to the abstract. The evidence points both ways, so the useful test is how logging makes you feel after two weeks.

Read the colors for what they are. Nuts, nut butters and oils are orange examples on Noom’s own list. Noom says its colors reflect calorie density plus some nutrition adjustments, so check a food’s label and your own needs rather than relying on the color alone.

How should you read a Noom review?

Ask four things of any review, including this one. Who was studied or who is talking, and are they like you? How long did it last? Was weight measured or self-reported? And who paid? A review that says “I lost 20 pounds” tells you about one person, and a trial in 427 adults tells you about an average. NIDDK’s list of questions to ask any program includes whether it has been formally studied, and it warns about promises like “Lose 30 pounds in 30 days.”

If you want human support from a clinician or dietitian instead of an app, see my page on online weight loss coaching for women.

I am not a medical professional and this page is not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting any weight loss program, especially if you have diabetes, kidney disease, an eating disorder history, are pregnant or nursing, or take a GLP-1 medicine.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Noom legit?

Noom is a real company with published studies, including a 2026 randomized trial. Noom paid for that trial and its employees helped write it, so treat the results as promising rather than settled.

How much weight can you lose on Noom?

In the 2026 trial, the Noom group averaged a 1.2 percent loss at 16 weeks and 4.1 percent at 68 weeks. Individual results vary, and the weights in that trial were self-reported.

Does Noom make you count calories?

Noom asks you to log your meals, and the app labels foods green, yellow or orange by calorie density. Noom’s help page refers to a color budget you can see in the meal analysis screen.

Is Noom good for menopause weight gain?

The studies above do not test that. The 2026 trial’s average age was 45, but it did not report results by menopause status, so the research cannot say whether Noom suits perimenopause or postmenopause.

Can you cancel Noom easily?

Noom says its Noom Med plans auto-renew but can be canceled anytime. Check the terms for the plan you choose and note the renewal date before you start.

Can I use Noom if I am taking a GLP-1 medicine?

Noom says Noom Med gives access to clinicians who can prescribe weight loss medicine, including GLP-1s, if it is clinically appropriate, and that it has a GLP-1 Companion support program. If you already take one, ask your prescriber before you add a program.

Sources

Noom Review: What the Research and Noom’s Own Pages Say