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China GLP-1 drug study suggests slim chance weight stays off after treatment
‘Significant’ weight returned weeks after stopping drug, say researchers who advise patients to adjust expectations
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A Chinese analysis of prescription anti-obesity medications has added to evidence that people who use popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic to shed pounds face the prospect of “significant” weight rebound once they stop using them – challenges similar to those presented by more traditional slimming strategies.
Patients saw “significant weight” return eight weeks after anti-obesity medications (AOMs) were stopped, which continued after 20 weeks, the team from Peking University People’s Hospital wrote in an article published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Medicine on Tuesday.
“Weight regain is common in various weight-loss strategies and it is necessary to establish long-term anti-obesity treatment in clinical practice,” the researchers said.
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Worldwide, 2½ billion adults were overweight in 2022 and 890 million of them were obese, according to the World Health Organization.
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Obesity can increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. It can also negatively impact bone health and reproduction.
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