Weight-loss jab study reveals shocking results of what happens to the body a year after coming off drug
A study looking at the longer-term impacts of the body using weight loss jabs came to shocking conclusion for those hoping to shed the pounds.
The use of drugs and medications to achieve weight loss isn't anything new, but in recent years, the drug Ozempic has become a major talking point.
Some celebrities have endorsed its use to lose weight, despite its intended purpose being to help those with Type-2 diabetes manage their blood sugar levels.
Ozempic isn't approved for weight loss in the US and UK, though fellow GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro are. But that hasn't stopped people using it purely for this purpose.
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While many have praised its effectiveness, there are still negative side effects that can occur from misusing GLP-1 medications like Ozempic, and experts have warned against taking the medication solely for weight loss.
But how does Ozempic work?
The drug works by mimicking a hormone that is produced in the body. This hormone go to your brain and tell you that you are full.
So, by feeling more full, a person will eat less, and as a result lose weight.
As well as this, the drug slows down digestion, meaning food stays in your body longer, again contributing to eating less. And in addition to both of these things, it’ll stabilize ‘your blood sugar’ to ultimately curb those nagging food cravings you might have.
What has the analysis found?
So, while all of these things sound good for losing weight, a study has found when it comes to individuals coming off weight loss drugs, they don’t tend to keep the weight off.
According to a Guardian report, the University of Oxford analyzed 11 different studies of older and newer GLP-1 weight loss drugs and found that patients typically lost 8kg on weight loss jabs but returned to their original weight within 10 months of stopping them.
The universities’ study was presented at the European Congress on Obesity and revealed how much weight people are putting back on after no longer taking the medication.
While those taking semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro) lost double the amount of weight compared with people using older jabs, 16kg on average, these patients put on 9.6kg within a year, meaning they could expect to regain all 16kg again in just over 20 months.
What have experts said about the findings?
While this might not be that massively surprising to some, it may shift the perception around the drug and its uses for weight loss.
The co-author of the study and professor of diet and population health at University of Oxford Susan Jebb summed up the findings and said: “These drugs are very effective at helping you lose weight, but when you stop them, weight regain is much faster than [after stopping] diets.”
She went on to question whether it was worth governments and companies investing in weight loss medications like these if people ultimately didn’t avoid the health concerns that arise from obesity.
She added: “Is it going to be worth the [British] National Health Service investing in these drugs if they only have them for a short time and then they pile all the weight back on, or does the NHS have to accept that these are going to be long-term therapies?
“Either people really have to accept this as a treatment for life, or we in science need to think really, really hard, how to support people when they stop the drug.”
Gerrard Kaonga