People who stop taking weight-loss jabs regain weight in under two years, study reveals | Health
According to a groundbreaking study, people who quit weight-loss injections regained all the weight they lost in less than two years; This is significantly faster than other weight loss plans.
Weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1 agonists were originally developed to treat diabetes and work by mimicking the hormone glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 1, which helps people feel full.
to workThe research, conducted by academics at the University of Oxford and published in the BMJ, involved a review of 37 existing studies involving 9,341 participants on weight-loss drugs. The average duration of weight loss treatment was 39 weeks and the average follow-up period was 32 weeks.
The analysis found that people who stopped taking the drug gained weight at an average rate of 0.4 kg per month, with participants returning to their original weight in an average of 1.7 years after stopping any weight-loss drug.
Specifically, people using any weight loss medication lost an average of 8.3 kg during treatment but regained 4.8 kg within the first year.
The rate of weight regain after stopping these medications was almost four times faster compared to behavioral programs that may include a specific diet or physical activity plan, regardless of the amount of weight lost during treatment.
Dr Sam West, from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Sciences at the University of Oxford, said the rapid weight gain seen after stopping weight loss drugs was not due to the drug itself.
“These drugs are transforming the treatment of obesity and can produce significant weight loss. But our research shows that people tend to gain weight quickly after quitting—faster than we see with behavioral programs,” West said.
He added: “This is not a failure of the drugs; it reflects the nature of obesity as a chronic, relapsing condition. It sounds like a cautionary note for short-term use without a more comprehensive approach to long-term weight management and highlights the importance of primary prevention.”
Previous studies have suggested that weight-loss drugs may also have a beneficial effect on other areas of a patient’s health, as seen in a study of drugs that could halve heart patients’ risk of premature death.
But the study also found that the benefits weight-loss drugs may provide on markers of cardio-metabolic health, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, also returned to their original levels within 1.4 years of stopping treatment.
Although previous studies have suggested that people using weight-loss medications regain all of the weight they lost within a year of stopping the medication, this is the first study to provide the rate of weight gain and estimated time frames for weight and metabolic return.
Wegovy can be prescribed on the NHS for up to two years, while there is no prescription duration limit for Mounjaro.
According to Dr Faye Riley, research communications officer at Diabetes UK, “Weight loss drugs can be effective tools for managing weight and type 2 diabetes risk – but this research reinforces that they are not a quick fix.”
“To ensure that people can achieve and maintain full weight loss for as long as possible when they stop taking the medication, they need to be prescribed appropriately, with specific wrap support on the side.”
Katharine Jenner, chief executive of the Obesity Health Alliance, said regaining weight after stopping treatment was not a failure of individuals, but rather “reflects the reality of living in a food environment that continually pushes people towards unhealthy choices.”
“These drugs may create a window of opportunity to improve the food landscape at scale and speed, from junk food marketing to the affordability and availability of healthier foods, otherwise many people will struggle to sustain the health benefits of weight loss drugs over the long term,” Jenner said.
An NHS spokesperson said: “While these new treatments are an important new tool to support weight loss, they are not a magic solution and should be paired with behavioral and lifestyle support, including healthier diets and physical activity advice, to maintain weight in the long term.
“As well as continuing to implement innovative ways to support people to lose weight safely and sustainably, the NHS continues to deliver a range of weight management services, including the NHS digital weight management programme, which will be expanded to a further 125,000 people a year as part of the 10-year health plan.”
