The amount of weight you lose with drugs like Ozempic and Wigovy depends on your medical history, how you take the drug, and other factors, a new study finds.
Researchers found that how much weight you lose when taking semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) depends on which drug you are taking and how long you continue to take it. I’ve found that it depends on the dose, and whether you have symptoms such as: I am taking it for type 2 diabetes or obesity.
Additionally, data shows that women with a higher starting body mass index (BMI), who take semaglutide, continue on high doses, and are on semaglutide can lose more than 10% of their body weight within a year. showed that the sex is higher. Consume regularly to prevent obesity.
This study JAMA network open September 13th.
“Our current study provides clear evidence that persistence is key to achieving clinically meaningful weight loss after one year with these medications,” said study lead author. says. Hamlet Gasoyan, PhD, MPHsaid Cleveland Clinic researchers. health.
Hear from experts on why certain factors influence weight loss with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs and how to choose the weight loss drug that’s right for you.
Two drugs included in the new drug JAMA network open The drugs studied, semaglutide and liraglutide, belong to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. Depending on the drug name, it is approved for type 2 diabetes and weight management.
As semaglutide (sold under the names Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus) grows in popularity, more real-world data about how the drug actually works in the bodies of people taking it is emerging. It’s wanted. Dr. Robert KushnerObesity medicine experts at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said: health.
In the study, researchers evaluated data from 3,389 adults who started taking either semaglutide or liraglutide from July 2015 to June 2022 at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and Florida. Most were prescribed GLP-1 drugs for type 2 diabetes management, while about 18% were taking either liraglutide or semaglutide for obesity.
Researchers found that after a year of taking these drugs, the amount of weight loss among study participants varied depending on a variety of factors.
On average, participants lost about 5.1% of their body weight when taking semaglutide and 2.2% of their body weight when taking liraglutide. Participants who were taking higher doses of GLP-1 drugs (semaglutide 1.7 milligrams (mg), 2.0 mg, 2.4 mg, and liraglutide 3 mg) lost more weight compared to participants who took lower doses. did.
Treatment indication was also important. For semaglutide in particular, people who took semaglutide for obesity lost 12.9% of their body weight, while those who took the drug for type 2 diabetes lost 5.9% of their body weight. Similarly, people taking liraglutide lost about 5.6% of their weight if they were being treated for obesity, but by 3.1% if they were being treated for type 2 diabetes.
Researchers also found that participants were more successful if they had better access to the drug. Those who had insurance for 90 to 270 days lost 2.8% of their weight, while those who had insurance for less than 90 days lost only 1.8%. Only about 4 in 10 participants continued to take the drug for a year after starting.
The research team also took a closer look at participants who lost more than 10% of their body weight. Being female, taking semaglutide, taking medication for obesity, having a higher BMI, being more consistent, and taking higher doses are all associated with more weight. I was doing it. Significant weight loss.
Kushner said the study was well conducted. However, this study had a relatively small number of participants and only one health system was included, so the results may not be representative of the entire country. Tricia Rodriguez, PhD, MPHsaid a senior applied scientist at Truveta Research. health.
The results of this latest study are not necessarily surprising and are “generally consistent with clinical trial data.” Dr. Eduard Grunwaldsaid the medical director of the weight management program at the University of California, San Diego. health.
Researchers previously investigated why these various factors influence weight loss in people taking GLP-1 drugs.
For example, in clinical trials of other GLP-1 drugs, women outperformed men in weight loss, Kushner noted. Some clinicians believe this to be the case because women’s bodies may absorb larger amounts of the drug.
Grunwald says there are predictions that “women may lose even more weight due to hormones.” “Some theories suggest that women may be more motivated because they feel more pressure from society to be thin.” [for] A drastic change in lifestyle. ”
People with a higher BMI also tend to lose weight, Kushner noted, and this isn’t the first time a study has shown this. This may be because GLP-1 drugs “significantly reduce appetite,” a big change in people who may have previously been eating more calories, he said. .
However, the relationship between significant weight loss and other factors is more difficult to determine.
“No one knows exactly why people with diabetes lose less weight than people without diabetes,” Grunwald says.
Kushner said people with type 2 diabetes may be consuming less than those being treated for obesity. Taking diabetes medications can also lead to weight gain, Gasoyan said, and people with diabetes may have elevated insulin levels, changes in the microbiome, genetic predisposition, or other barriers to weight loss. He added that it is sexual.
“It’s been a sore point for a long time,” Kushner said.
Some of these factors associated with significant weight loss with GLP-1 drugs, such as starting BMI, gender, and treatment indication, are not necessarily within people’s control. However, if you take semaglutide rather than liraglutide, take higher doses, and take the drug continuously, you are more likely to lose more weight.
However, if semagluide and liraglutide are still ineffective, there are other things you can do.
Rodriguez published a study in July that found that tirzepatide can cause “significantly greater weight loss” compared to semaglutide, so you may see even better results if you try Mounjaro or Zepbound. There is.
But one of the most important things people can do if they want to see weight loss results is to take GLP-1 drugs regularly, Kushner said. Of course, that means people need to have adequate access to medicines.
“One of the limitations of real-world studies is that we don’t know why six out of 10 people didn’t take their medication consistently,” Kushner said. Shortages and side effects can absolutely have an impact, along with huge costs and insurance coverage issues.
