Weight comes back four times faster after slimming jabs, study warns

People who stop using weight-loss injections such as Mounjaro or Wegovy can regain the weight they lost up to four times faster than those who stop traditional dieting and exercise, new research suggests.

Data published in the British Medical Journal suggests overweight people shed large amounts when using jabs – about a fifth of their body weight – but once they quit, they regain 0.8 kg every month, on average.

That means they return to their pre-treatment weight in a year and a half.

“People buying these need to be aware of the risk of fast weight regain when the treatment ends,” warns investigator Dr Susan Jebb, from Oxford University.

She stressed that the findings come from medical trials rather than real-life experiences, and that more studies on the longer-term effects of new slimming jabs would be helpful.

The researchers examined 37 studies involving over 9,000 patients to compare the effectiveness of the blockbuster weight-loss medications with conventional dieting or other weight-loss pills.

Only eight of the studies assessed treatment with the newer GLP-1 drugs, such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, and the maximum follow-up period in these studies was a year after medication stopped, so the figures are an estimate.

People who diet instead can expect to lose less weight than with the jabs, but afterwards, weight creeps back on more slowly – perhaps around 0.1 kg a month, say the researchers, although it does vary.

Risk of relapse
The NHS recommends the jabs for people who are overweight with obesity-related health risks – not people who just want to get a bit slimmer.

And doctors should also prescribe lifestyle changes that include eating healthily and getting enough exercise to help people keep the weight off.

Many say the treatment should be considered lifelong, given the risk of relapse.

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