Weight Returns Within Two Years After Stopping Weight-Loss Jabs, Major Study Finds

People who stop taking weight-loss injections regain the weight they lost in under two years, according to a major new analysis. The study, led by researchers at the University of Oxford and published in the BMJ, reviewed 37 studies involving more than 9,300 participants using GLP-1 agonist medications. These drugs, originally developed for diabetes, help suppress appetite by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone. Researchers found that after stopping treatment, people regained weight at an average rate of 0.4kg per month, returning to their original weight within about 1.7 years. Weight regain occurred nearly four times faster than in behavioural programmes based on diet and exercise. Benefits to blood pressure and cholesterol also reversed within around 1.4 years of stopping treatment. Dr Sam West from Oxford’s Nuffield Department said the findings reflect obesity being a chronic condition rather than a failure of the drugs. Experts from Diabetes UK and the Obesity Health Alliance stressed that medications are not a quick fix and must be combined with long-term lifestyle and environmental changes. The NHS said weight-loss drugs should always be paired with ongoing dietary and physical activity support to help people maintain results.