GLP-1 Jabs Cut Calories by Up to 40% but Can Regain 60% of Lost Weight
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 11
GLP-1 Jabs Cut Calories by Up to 40% but Can Regain 60% of Lost Weight
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 11
Summary
GLP-1 drugs do not eliminate hunger, but they sharply reduce appetite and food intake—by up to 40% of calories—because they mimic a gut hormone far more powerfully and for much longer.
Gastrointestinal side effects are common, especially during dose increases, with nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, bloating and vomiting often worsened by dehydration as people eat and sometimes drink less.
Up to 40% of weight lost on the drugs may come from lean mass, experts said, making protein intake and resistance training essential to limit muscle loss and poorer body composition.
About 60% of lost weight can return after stopping treatment, and one Oxford study found many users regain their original weight within two years, reinforcing that obesity drugs may need long-term use.
Experts also said the drugs are not for casual aesthetic use, 5%-20% of users may be non-responders, and evidence for benefits beyond weight loss—from mental health to cancer risk—is still limited or evolving.