Researchers from Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences say discontinuing GLP-1 medications could cause users to regain all of their lost weight within 18 months.
The study, published this week in The BMJ, analyzed data from 37 studies including 9,341 adults and found patients typically returned to their starting weight within 18 to 24 months of stopping the medication. Oxford researchers noted that weight was regained at a faster rate than among those who ended behavioral weight loss programs supported by diet and exercise.
Cardiometabolic markers — including blood pressure and cholesterol — also returned to baseline levels about 16 months after stopping GLP-1 treatment.
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The findings suggest that patients who wish to maintain weight loss may need to continue taking the medication long-term.
“This isn’t a failing of the medicines — it reflects the nature of obesity as a chronic, relapsing condition,” said Dr. Sam West, a University of Oxford researcher. “It sounds a cautionary note for short-term use without a more comprehensive approach to weight management.”
The research comes as insurers and government health services debate whether to cover GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. The medicines were originally developed to treat diabetes but have since been approved for obesity treatment.
In addition to helping people with diabetes control symptoms, drugmakers say GLP-1 medicines improve cardiometabolic markers in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients with obesity.
However, the drugs are expensive, often costing more than $1,000 a month.
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According to the Cleveland Clinic, the medications manage blood sugar by triggering insulin release from the pancreas and slowing digestion, which reduces the amount of glucose entering the bloodstream. They also help patients feel full after eating.
Susan Jebb, a professor of diet and population health at Oxford, said the findings highlight “the need for a more holistic and long-term approach to weight management.”
“Obesity is a chronic, relapsing condition, not a short-term problem with a quick fix,” Jebb said. “When people lose weight through changes to their diet and activity, they’re practicing the skills that help maintain that loss. It may be that with medication, the weight comes off without necessarily developing those skills.”
