Scientists from the University of Liverpool found that an anti-obesity drug, semaglutide, showed a strong degree of weight loss.
The research is published in the New England Journal of Medicine and was conducted by John P.H. Wilding et al.
Semaglutide is a molecule that works by controlling appetite. This has been shown in numerous studies. The drug is normally used to control blood sugar in the treatment of diabetes.
In the current study, the team tested 1,961 adults who were overweight or obese. Approximately 75% of participants were female.
Participants were given a weekly injection of semaglutide. They were also advised on how to manage their weight through dieting and exercise.
After 68 weeks of treatment, the team found the participants lost an average of 15.3kg (around 15% of their body weight) with semaglutide compared to just 2.6kg in those who received the placebo injection, alongside diet and exercise advice.
This is the largest effect ever observed with an anti-obesity medication.
The weekly dose was administered via subcutaneous injection – which is unusual, as most anti-obesity drugs are given as a tablet taken by mouth.
But while the degree of weight loss is certainly promising, there are still a lot of researchers who don’t know about semaglutide.
The team says future work needs to test whether the drug was effective on its own, or whether it was the combination of the drug, how it was administered, and whether it would produce the same magnitude of weight loss without the lifestyle changes.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies about the best cheeses to improve diabetes and lose weight, and this diet could boost your gut health and weight loss.
For more information about diabetes, please see recent studies about how to drink water to lose weight, and results showing gastric sleeve weight-loss surgery: a real story.
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