Weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy have become very popular in recent years. Many people use these drugs to help control their weight and improve their health.
These medications belong to a group called GLP-1 drugs, which help reduce appetite and support weight loss. However, a new study suggests that how consistently people take these medications may be just as important as the drugs themselves.
The research was conducted by scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation Insight. The study focused on what happens when these medications are stopped and then started again, which is a common pattern among patients.
GLP-1 medications have seen a major increase in use. In the United States, about one in eight adults has tried them for weight loss. However, many people do not continue the treatment for long periods.
Studies show that more than half of patients stop taking these drugs within two years. Some later return to the treatment, creating a pattern of stopping and restarting.
To better understand the effects of this pattern, researchers carried out a study using overweight mice. The study lasted four months and included two groups. One group received the medication continuously throughout the entire study period.
The second group followed a stop-and-start pattern. They took the drug for two weeks, stopped for two weeks, and repeated this cycle several times before finally switching to continuous use.
At the beginning, both groups lost a similar amount of weight. However, the differences became clear over time. The group that stopped and restarted the medication quickly regained weight during each break.
More importantly, when they began the drug again, they were not able to lose as much weight as before. Even after returning to continuous use later in the study, they remained significantly heavier than the group that took the drug consistently.
The researchers found that by the end of the study, the intermittent group was still about 20 percent heavier than the group that had taken the medication without interruption. This suggests that repeated stopping and restarting may reduce the overall effectiveness of the drug.
To understand why this happens, the scientists looked at changes in body composition. When people lose weight using GLP-1 medications, the weight loss includes both fat and muscle.
On average, about 60 percent of the weight lost is fat, and about 40 percent is muscle. However, when weight is regained after stopping the drug, most of the gain comes from fat rather than muscle.
This leads to a change in the balance between muscle and fat in the body. Over time, the body may reach a point where it tries to protect the remaining muscle. The researchers described this as reaching a “muscle floor,” where the body resists losing more weight to avoid losing too much muscle.
Although this study was done in mice and more research is needed in humans, the findings raise important questions. They suggest that consistent use of these medications may be necessary to achieve the best results. They also highlight the importance of maintaining muscle mass through exercise and proper nutrition while using these drugs.
In reviewing the findings, it is clear that consistency plays a key role in how effective these medications are. The study provides a possible explanation for why some people struggle to lose weight after restarting treatment.
However, because the study was conducted in animals, the results cannot be directly applied to humans without further research. The sample model also simplifies complex human behaviors, such as diet and lifestyle.
Overall, the study offers a valuable insight into how these medications work over time. It suggests that stopping and restarting treatment may reduce their benefits, and that long-term commitment may be necessary for the best outcomes.
Future research will need to confirm these findings in people and explore ways to improve results, including protecting muscle mass during treatment.
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Source: University of Pennsylvania.
