A new generation of weight-loss medications, including Semaglutide (Wegovy) and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro), has significantly shifted the therapeutic standard. Clinical data show that these drugs provide a 15–20% reduction in body mass, which markedly exceeds the effectiveness of dietary recommendations alone. Along with weight loss, patients experience improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar levels, significantly reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
However, real-world practice shows that half of users discontinue treatment within 12 months, and the body begins to regain the lost mass. This trend calls into question short-term approaches and indicates that the fight against obesity is not a temporary management process.
A systematic review published in the journal BMJ, which summarizes 37 studies and data from over 9,000 patients, confirms this trend with precise statistical indicators.
The study results reveal that during the course of treatment, patients lost an average of 8.3 kg; however, the results achieved were not maintained after stopping the drug. Weight gain averaged 0.4 kg per month, meaning that in 1.7 years, patients returned to their initial weight.
This trend was even more pronounced in the case of GLP-1 group medications, where the rate of weight gain reached 0.8 kg per month. With such dynamics, in the very first year after stopping treatment, patients’ weight increases by an average of 10 kilograms.
Along with weight gain, the positive health changes achieved during treatment are also unstable. The study showed:
Blood Pressure: Systolic pressure decreases by an average of 5.8 units during treatment but begins to rise by about half a unit every month immediately after stopping the drug.
Lipids: Cholesterol and triglyceride levels returned to their baseline within one year.
Blood Sugar: Stable levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) returned to baseline in 1.4 years.
Ultimately, just 1.2 years after discontinuing the drug, the health status of these patients leveled out with the data of individuals who had never undergone treatment at all.
Interestingly, a different rate of weight regain is observed compared to non-drug interventions. For example, among those who lost weight through diet and exercise, weight gain was only 0.02 kg per month, and the achieved effect was maintained for 5 years.
This difference is explained by the fact that the medication suppresses appetite instantaneously and artificially. When it is stopped, this effect disappears immediately, and the patient often hasn’t yet formed healthy lifestyle habits. Therefore, these data remind us once again that obesity is a chronic condition that requires long-term, complex management.
Patient sentiment is also noteworthy: once individuals learn about the expected risk of rapid weight regain, interest in GLP-1 group medications drops from 45% to 14%. This data indicates the necessity of adequately informing patients and re-evaluating the cost-effectiveness of treatment.
Source: BMJ
