Why Do Weight Loss Drugs Stop Working for Some People?
It takes a certain amount of bravery to embark on a weight-loss journey. For most people, eating more healthily and doing more exercise is a radical change from their daily routine – and one that is, statistically, unlikely to result in permanent weight loss. For instance, according to one major study, only around one in five people who lose weight through dieting manage to keep it off in the long term. For the other four, the weight eventually returns.
That’s one reason why glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists – better known as GLP-1 drugs – have generated so much excitement. By reducing hunger and helping people feel full sooner, they make it far easier to stick to a calorie-controlled diet than relying on willpower alone.
And the results, as you may have heard, can be staggering. In one recent trialcomparing the two leading GLP-1 drugs, people taking tirzepatide lost around 20 per cent of their body weight on average, while those taking semaglutide lost around 14 per cent.
Excerpted from BBC Science Focus
