People who use weight loss injections to shed pounds regain it all within 10 months of stopping treatment, a study has found.
Scientists from the University of Oxford found that the effects of GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy are short-term, unless patients subsequently follow a healthy lifestyle.
Even those using newer, more powerful drugs, like Mounjaro, regain the weight once treatment is stopped.
"These drugs are very effective at helping you lose weight, but when you stop them, the weight comes back much more quickly than after a traditional diet," said Professor Susan Jebb - reports GazetaExpress.
"Is it worth the NHS investing in these drugs if they are only used for a short period and then the weight comes back? Or should we accept that these are long-term treatments, perhaps for life?" she added.
"Either people need to accept that this is a life-long therapy, or science needs to think very seriously about how to support people after they stop using the medication."
Why do people regain weight?
The study didn't explain exactly why the weight comes back so quickly, but Prof. Jebb suggested the reason could be because the diets are difficult.
"When you're on medication, you don't have self-control, so when you stop taking it, you haven't developed behavioral strategies to cope with life without it."
Study details
The study was presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, Spain, and involved 6,370 adults in 11 different studies.
The findings raise questions for the British government, which has plans to expand the use of weight-loss injections across the country through NHS funding.
The health regulator NICE currently advises that patients should not use the injections for more than 2 years.
Expert reactions
Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said:
"It should come as no surprise to anyone that people regain weight after using GLP-1 drugs without making serious efforts to improve their lifestyle. These drugs are not a quick fix, as many users believe."
Jane Ogden, professor of health psychology at the University of Surrey, added:
“It makes no sense to throw people back into their lives without support after they stop getting injections.”
"They will need psychological counseling, behavioral change support, and nutritional assistance so they can maintain healthy behaviors and avoid regaining the weight." /Express newspaper/
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