Weight loss jabs: are they really worth it as new study finds users regain weight faster than dieters
Around 1.5 million people in the UK use weight loss medications 💉
- A new study has found that people tend to regain weight after stopping weight loss drugs faster than those who diet.
- An estimated 1.5 million people in the UK use weight loss medications.
- Around half of people discontinue GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment within 12 months.
A new study has found that people who use weight loss drugs tend to regain the weight rapidly after stopping, and faster than after ending behavioural weight loss programmes such as diet or exercise.
Weight loss medications have grown in popularity, with around 1.5 million people using GLP-1 drugs, such as semaglutide and tirzepatide. Of this, an estimated nine in 10 people are purchasing these medications privately.
Around half of people discontinue GLP-1 receptor agonist treatment within 12 months. The study carried out by researchers from researchers in Oxford's Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences discovered that weight regain after stopping medications was faster than after ending weight loss programmes, such as diet and exercise support, by approximately 0.3 kg per month.
Lead author Dr Sam West, postdoctoral researcher at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, said: “These medicines are transforming obesity treatment and can achieve important weight loss. However, our analysis shows that people tend to regain weight rapidly after stopping – faster than we see with behavioural programmes.
“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 weight management.”
What does the study mean?
The study suggests that those who stop weight loss medications are at risk of rapidly gaining the weight they have lost back.
It reviewed 37 studies tracking more than 9,000 adults who stopped taking weight management medications after being on them for an average of 39 weeks of treatment for an average of 32 weeks after stopping.
It found that when comparing weight regain between weight loss medications and behavioural weight loss programmes such as diet and exercise, for those on weight loss drugs, regain was faster after medicines by approximately 0.3 kg per month.
It comes months after NICE issued recommendations for post-treatment support for those on GLP-1 receptor agonists for at least one year.
Speaking about the study’s findings, Dr West said: “The question isn't whether these medicines work - they clearly do. The question is how we use them most effectively and sustainably within our health system. These findings suggest that treating obesity requires long-term commitment, not just from patients but from healthcare systems too.”
Weight loss medications are available on prescription for those who meet the criteria. You find out more at NHS.UK.