Study Finds Rapid Weight Regain After Discontinuing Weight-Loss Drugs

People who stop taking weight-loss drugs regain the weight they lost within two years, and at a faster pace than those following other weight-loss methods, according to a new study published in The BMJ.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Oxford, analysed data from 37 clinical studies involving 9,341 participants who used weight-loss medications known as GLP-1 agonists. These drugs, originally developed to treat diabetes, work by mimicking the glucagon-like peptide-1 hormone, which helps regulate appetite and induce a feeling of fullness.

Researchers found that participants lost an average of 8.3 kg during treatment, which typically lasted 39 weeks. However, after discontinuing the medication, weight was regained at an average rate of 0.4 kg per month. On average, individuals returned to their original weight within 1.7 years, regaining nearly 5 kg in the first year alone.

The rate of weight regain after stopping medication was nearly four times faster than that seen in behavioural weight-loss programmes, such as diet- and exercise-based interventions, regardless of the amount of weight initially lost.

The study also found that improvements in cardio-metabolic health indicators, including blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reversed within about 1.4 years after treatment ended. While previous research has shown that weight-loss drugs can offer broader health benefits, these effects were not sustained once medication was stopped.

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