1 users regain lost weight after about 18 months: Study
The Boston Globe••health
Key Points:
- A review of 37 studies involving 9,300 participants found that people who stop taking popular weight-loss drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Zepbound) typically regain their lost weight within 18 months, faster than previously estimated.
- Users of these drugs lost about 33 pounds during treatment but regained approximately 22 pounds in the first year after stopping, with cardiometabolic health markers such as blood pressure and cholesterol also returning to pre-treatment levels around 17 months after cessation.
- Experts emphasize that weight-loss drugs only work while being taken, similar to medications for chronic conditions, and caution that longer-term data beyond 12 months is limited, necessitating further research.
- Many
