How much weight you lose on a GLP-1 drug can be related to these factors

The amount of weight a person loses on drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy varies based on their medical history, how they take the drug, and other factors, a new study finds.

Researchers have found that how much weight a person loses when taking semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) or liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) depends on which medication they take, how often they take it, the dose of dosage, and whether to take it for type 2 diabetes or obesity.

In addition, data has shown that the probability of losing 10% or more of your body weight within a year is higher if you are a woman, have a higher starting body mass index (BMI), take semaglutide, stay high dose, take it. for obesity, and take it regularly.

The lesson was published in JAMA Network Open on September 13.

“Our current work provides clear evidence that persistence is the key to weight loss with this medication in one year,” study lead author Hamlet Gasoyan, PhD, MPH, researcher Cleveland Clinic, he said. Good health.

Here’s what experts have to say about why certain factors can affect how much weight you lose on glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) drugs and how to choose them weight loss medicine that works for you.

Two drugs are included in the new one JAMA Network Open study-semaglutide and liraglutide-belongs to a group of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. They are approved for type 2 diabetes and weight management, according to the drug’s name.

As semaglutide—available under the names Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus—has become popular, there has been a need for more global data on how the drug actually works for people who take it, Robert Kushner, MD, obesity medicine specialist. Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said Good health.

For this study, researchers analyzed the data of 3,389 adults who started taking semaglutide or liraglutide between July 2015 and June 2022 at the Cleveland Clinic locations in Ohio and Florida. Most had been prescribed a GLP-1 drug for type 2 diabetes management, but about 18% were taking liraglutide or semaglutide for obesity.

The researchers found that a year after taking this medicine, the participants of the study lost different amounts of weight depending on several factors.

Participants, on average, lost about 5.1% of their body weight if they took semaglutide and 2.2% of their body weight if they took liraglutide. Participants who took higher doses of their GLP-1 drug—1.7 milligrams (mg), 2.0 mg, or 2.4 mg of semaglutide, or 3 mg of liraglutide—had less weight compared to people taking low values.

The therapeutic effect was significant, too—for semaglutide in particular, people taking it for obesity lost 12.9% of their body weight, while those taking diabetes medications type 2 lose 5.9% of their body weight. Similarly, people on liraglutide lost about 5.6% of their body weight if they were treated for obesity, compared to 3.1% if they were treated for diabetes. type 2.

The researchers also found that participants were more successful if they had better access to their medication. People with insurance for 90 to 270 days lost 2.8% of their body weight, while people who had less than 90 days of insurance lost 1.8% Only about four in 10 participants continued to take their medication a year after starting it.

The team also looked closely at participants who lost 10% or more of their body weight—being women, taking semaglutide, taking drugs for obesity, having a high BMI , stability, and taking a higher dose were all associated with this more. significant weight loss.

The study was well done, Kushner said. However, the study had a small number of participants and involved only one health system, meaning the results may not be representative of the entire country. Tricia Rodriguez, PhD, MPH, senior working scientist at Truveta Research, said. Good health.

The results of this latest study are not surprising and are “very consistent with data from clinical trials,” Eduardo Grunvald, MD, medical director of the weight management program at UC San Diego Health, said. Good health.

Researchers have investigated why these different factors may affect weight loss while using the GLP-1 drug.

For example, in some trials of GLP-1 drugs, women fared better than men in terms of weight loss, Kushner noted. Some doctors believe that this is because women’s bodies can absorb more of the drug.

Some predictions are that “women may lose weight for hormonal reasons,” Grunvald said. “Some also have the idea that women feel more social pressure to be independent, so they may have more influence [for] drastic changes in life. ”

People with a higher BMI tend to lose weight, too—not the first time this has been seen in an experiment, Kushner noted. This may be because GLP-1 drugs “significantly reduce appetite,” he said, leading to a significant change in people who may have been eating a lot of calories before.

But the relationship between significant weight loss and other factors is more complicated than weight loss.

“Nobody knows exactly why people with diabetes lose more weight than people without it,” Grunvald said.

It’s possible that people with type 2 diabetes may take lower doses than people being treated for obesity, Kushner said. Being on diabetes medication can sometimes lead to weight gain, Gasoyan added, or people with this condition can have high insulin levels, altered microbiota, genetics, or another obstacle to weight loss.

“It’s been a headache for a long time,” Kushner said.

Some of these factors associated with weight loss over GLP-1 drugs – including starting BMI, gender, and treatment indications – are not necessarily within people’s control. However, taking more semaglutide than liraglutide, taking a higher dose, and taking the medication regularly can increase a person’s chance of losing more weight.

But if semagluide or liraglutide still doesn’t work for you, there are other things you can do.

Rodriguez published a study in July that found that tirzepatide can cause “significant weight loss” compared to semaglutide, so trying Mounjaro or Zepbound may lead to even better results.

But one of the most important things people can do if they want to see weight loss results is to take their GLP-1 drug regularly, Kushner said. Basically, that means that people should have adequate access to their medicine.

“One of the limitations of real-world research is that we don’t know why six out of 10 people don’t take their medications regularly,” Kushner said. Shortages and consequences can play a full role, along with higher costs and safety issues.