The pounds lost with weight loss injections come back in less than two years. A study shows what happens after stopping treatment
Weakened. Photo: Profimedia
People who give up weight-loss injections regain all their initial weight loss in less than two years, significantly faster than those who follow any other weight-loss plan, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Oxford.
Diet drugs, known as GLP-1 agonists, were originally developed as a treatment for diabetes and work by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), which helps people feel full.
The study included an analysis of 37 existing studies of weight loss drugs involving 9,341 participants. The mean duration of weight loss treatment was 39 weeks, and the mean follow-up period was 32 weeks.
On average, the analysis showed that weight was regained at a rate of 0.4 kg per month by people who stopped treatment, with participants returning to their starting weight within an average of 1.7 years after stopping any type of weight loss drug.
Specifically, people who took any type of weight loss drug treatment lost an average of 8.3 kg during treatment, but regained 4.8 kg in the first year after stopping it.
The rate at which weight was regained after stopping these drugs was nearly four times faster compared to behavioral programs, which may include a specific diet or physical activity plan, regardless of how much weight was lost during treatment.
The rapid weight gain seen after stopping diet drugs is not caused by the drug itself, said Dr Sam West, from the Nuffield Department of Health Sciences at the University of Oxford.
“These drugs are transforming obesity treatment and can lead to significant weight loss. However, our research shows that people tend to regain weight quickly after stopping treatment, faster than we see with behavioral programs,” West said.
“This is not a drug shortcoming, it reflects the nature of obesity as a chronic, relapsing condition. It is a warning signal against short-term use without a broader approach to long-term weight management and emphasizes the importance of primary prevention,” the researcher added.
