Overview
- Researchers synthesized 37 studies involving 9,341 adults, with average treatment lasting about 10 months and follow-up around eight months.
- Across all medications, patients lost an average 8.3 kg during treatment, then regained roughly 4.8 kg in the first year off (about 0.4 kg per month), with weight projected to return to baseline in about 1.7 years.
- For newer GLP‑1 drugs such as semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), average loss was just under 15 kg, about 10 kg was regained in the first year, and full regain was projected in roughly 1.5 years.
- Cardiometabolic gains, including improvements in blood glucose, cholesterol and blood pressure, were estimated to revert to baseline about 1.4 years after discontinuation.
- Regain after stopping medication was about four times faster than after behavioural programmes, prompting calls for maintenance strategies as roughly half of users discontinue within a year and NHS rules cap Wegovy at two years but set no limit for Mounjaro.