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Topics: Weight loss, Mounjaro, Health
William Morgan
The results of a massive study examining the health outcomes of people taking weight loss medications has found out what really happens to your body when you stop taking the injections.
These GLP-1 agonist injections, which include brand names like Wegovy and Mounjaro, have helped millions of people to lose a considerable amount of body mass, becoming an integral tool in the fight against obesity.
They work by mimicking the glucagon-like peptide 1 hormone that helps you to regulate when and how much you eat, taking away the desire to eat more than you need that makes it so hard for many people to follow a diet plan.
But Oxford University researchers, who created a study examining GLP-1 drugs and the medical results of 9,341 patients from 37 other studies, have found that this stunning weight loss might only be temporary.
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Publishing their findings in the British Medical Journal, the researchers found that patients dropped about a fifth of their total weight during a typical 39-week course of treatment, which would be an incredible result for a normal weight loss program.
However, once patients stopped receiving their GLP-1 medications, they found that many would regain a considerable amount of weight without the hunger-regulating effects of the GLP-1 drugs.
Oxford researcher Dr Susan Jebb warned: "People buying these need to be aware of the risk of fast weight regain when the treatment ends."
On average, patients would regain 0.8kg (1.7lbs) per months, meaning that they returned to their pre-jab weight in just a year and a half.
This is a much more rapid weight gain than people who follow a normal diet plan and discontinue, which saw a monthly gain of 0.1kg (0.22lbs).
This rapid weight gain was not a result of the GLP-1 injections, but rather a lack of behavioral change from patients receiving the drugs, a researcher explained.
Oxford's Dr Sam West said: “These medicines are transforming obesity treatment and can achieve important weight loss. However, our research shows that people tend to regain weight rapidly after stopping - faster than we see with behavioural programs."
While the research showed that many were rapidly regaining their lost weight, it did not mean that these new treatments are not effective.
He added: “This isn’t a failing of the medicines – it reflects the nature of obesity as a chronic, relapsing condition.
"It sounds a cautionary note for short-term use without a more comprehensive approach to long-term weight management, and highlights the importance of primary prevention.”
Other studies have indicated that these GLP-1 drugs can have a positive impact on a number of health metrics beside weight, with benefits for your brain and cardiovascular health.
But another finding of the study was that some of these observable health benefits also return to normal after a short period. Like with weight, they found that positive blood pressure and cholesterol biomarkers faded after 1.4 years.