New research suggests that semaglutide helps people keep eating less for more than a year, even if they no longer feel the dramatic loss of appetite they experienced at the beginning of treatment.
The study was led by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Obesity increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and many other health problems. For some people, lifestyle changes alone are not enough to achieve lasting weight loss.
Medicines such as semaglutide have become an important treatment option because they can reduce body weight while improving overall health.
Scientists wanted to know whether semaglutide continued changing eating behavior after the first several months. Many patients report that their hunger gradually becomes more noticeable again, leading them to wonder whether the medicine is still effective.
The clinical trial followed 120 adults with overweight or obesity for 60 weeks. Half received weekly semaglutide injections while the others received placebo injections. All participants also received guidance on healthy eating and physical activity throughout the study.
Researchers repeatedly measured food intake under controlled laboratory conditions. After a standard breakfast, participants were free to eat as much lunch as they wanted until they felt satisfied. This allowed the scientists to compare actual calorie intake rather than relying only on self-reported eating habits.
Participants taking semaglutide consistently consumed about one-quarter to one-third fewer calories than those taking placebo. This difference remained at weeks 20, 40, and 60, showing that the medicine continued affecting eating behavior over the long term.
The lower calorie intake translated into much greater weight loss. By the end of the study, people taking semaglutide had lost an average of 15.1% of their body weight, compared with only 3.4% in the placebo group.
Interestingly, participants’ feelings did not always match their behavior. Early in treatment they reported much less hunger and fewer thoughts about food. Later, those feelings became closer to those reported by the placebo group, yet they still ate significantly fewer calories.
The researchers believe this finding may reassure patients who worry that the medicine has stopped working. Feeling hungrier does not necessarily mean the treatment has lost its effect, because actual food intake may still remain much lower than before treatment.
The study adds valuable evidence about how semaglutide supports long-term weight maintenance by reducing calorie intake rather than simply eliminating hunger.
Because the research lasted just over one year, future studies should examine whether these benefits continue over several years and in larger groups of patients.
Even so, the findings strengthen the case for using semaglutide as part of a long-term obesity management plan together with healthy diet, exercise, and ongoing medical care.
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Source: University of Pennsylvania.
