Overview
- An Oxford-led BMJ meta-analysis of 37 studies finds people typically regain weight at roughly 0.4 kg per month after stopping semaglutide or tirzepatide, with weight and cardiometabolic gains returning toward baseline in about 18 and 14 months respectively.
- Regulators are moving to extend treatment options, with the UK MHRA approving a 7.2 mg weekly Wegovy dose that delivered more than 20% average weight loss in trials and helped a third of participants lose at least 25% over 72 weeks.
- Real-world persistence remains a challenge as roughly half of users stop within a year due to cost and side effects, and several Medicaid programs, including California’s, have recently ended coverage even as drugmakers expand lower-priced direct-sales options.
- Adoption is widespread—UCL survey data suggest 1.6 million UK users last year—and it is changing purchasing patterns, with Cornell research linking GLP-1 use to a 5% drop in grocery spending and about an 8% decline at limited-service restaurants within six months.
- Clinicians and nutrition experts warn that reduced appetite heightens risks of deficiencies, with observational data showing diagnoses rising past 22% at one year, and they recommend structured nutrition, resistance training and, where appropriate, dose tapering to maintain losses.