Weight Loss Drugs: Ozempic Offers Short-Term Success, but Long-Term Weight Gain May Occur After Discontinuation
In a groundbreaking study published in BMC Medicine, researchers from Peking University People's Hospital have shed light on the long-term effectiveness of GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) like Ozempic and semaglutide in managing weight loss.
The study, led by endocrinologist Xiaoling Cai, analysed 11 randomized controlled trials with over 2,400 adults who had taken FDA- or EMA-approved anti-obesity drugs. The research revealed that while these medications drive weight loss by enhancing satiety, reducing food intake, and slowing gastric emptying, the long-term prevention of weight regain after stopping these drugs is limited and challenging.
The study found that the weight stabilised after six months at a higher level than the low point reached with the medication, but lower than the starting point. Within eight weeks of stopping treatment, participants on average regained 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds). By twenty weeks, participants had regained 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds).
The rebound effect isn't a complete return to the baseline weight, but the weight doesn't stay at the minimum weight either. The study challenges the common perception that obesity is a personal failure, emphasising that it's mostly biological.
The rebound effect is partly due to the loss of lean muscle mass during treatment, which reduces resting metabolic rate and makes it easier to regain fat once the drug is discontinued. Approximately 39% of weight lost may be lean muscle mass.
The study highlights the complexity of weight regulation, which is mostly biological and involves feedback loops between the brain, gut, hormones, and fat tissue.
However, the study also offers hope. Researchers are testing combination therapies that pair GLP-1 drugs with other molecules to potentially slow down the rebound effect. The new generation of weight-loss drugs, including GLP-1 therapy, is promising, but they may require long-term use to be effective long-term.
Maintaining weight loss typically requires ongoing medication combined with lifestyle strategies to preserve muscle mass and metabolic health. Combining GLP-1 therapy with behavioral changes such as exercise can reduce muscle loss and potentially improve the durability of weight loss.
In summary, GLP-1 therapies are effective for weight loss during active treatment, but the long-term prevention of weight regain after stopping these drugs is poor due to physiological changes like muscle loss and reduced metabolic rate. The study title is "Trajectory of the body weight after drug discontinuation in the treatment of anti‐obesity medications".
- The new generation of weight-loss drugs, including GLP-1 therapy, may require long-term use to be effective long-term, as maintaining weight loss typically requires ongoing medication.
- Researchers are testing combination therapies that pair GLP-1 drugs with other molecules to potentially slow down the rebound effect, offering hope for effective long-term management of weight loss.
- Combining GLP-1 therapy with behavioral changes such as exercise can reduce muscle loss and potentially improve the durability of weight loss, as preserving muscle mass and metabolic health are crucial for long-term weight management.
- The study, titled "Trajectory of the body weight after drug discontinuation in the treatment of anti‐obesesity medications," emphasizes that the long-term prevention of weight regain after stopping GLP-1 receptor agonists like Ozempic and semaglutide is a challenge due to physiological changes like muscle loss and reduced metabolic rate.
