Weight-loss jabs work if you wean off slowly

PEOPLE who come off weight loss jabs can keep the pounds off – if they wean themselves off the medicine slowly, a trial has found.

Until now, those prescribed the radical treatments have been warned that they may have to stay on the drugs for life – or see their weight bounce back.

The jabs have been shown to cause major weight loss – with average loss of more than 15 per cent of body weight over 68 weeks.

However, studies found those on the drug semaglutide, known by the brand names Wegovy and Ozempic, which is prescribed for diabetes, put two thirds of the weight they lost back on, once they stopped being prescribed the jabs.

Those findings sparked fear in those taking the jabs, particularly as guidance for the NHS only advises that they are prescribed for a maximum of two years.

But the new trial suggests that with careful management of the dosage, and changes in diet and lifestyle, weight gain after coming off the drugs can be avoided. Dieters were also able to lose weight despite being put on a far lower dose of the drugs to begin with – saving them from uncomfortable side-effects.

The injections work by mimicking hormones to reduce feelings of appetite and hunger and increase feelings of fullness.

Normally, the dose is gradually increased as patients get used to the treatment.

But the study of 2,246 Danes closely monitored the doses which patients were put on, only increasing it if they had stopped making progress.

At 64 weeks, average weight loss was 15 per cent – more than two stone (28 lbs) – despite the fact that dieters were only on about one third of the standard dose.

Weight loss continued as the dose was being tapered down over an average of nine weeks, with an average loss of 2.1 per cent over the period.

And even when the jabs were stopped entirely, weight remained stable for the next 26 weeks for the majority of those tracked.

Researchers said the findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Venice, were a “really encouraging” breakthough and could ensure that sought-after stocks of jabs go further.

The study was by Embla, a digital weight loss clinic. Dr Henrik Gudbergsen, the lead researcher and Embla’s chief medical officer, said: “The dose really doesn’t matter at all ... That is really important in that we can achieve a personalised dose and help minimise side effects and lifelong drug dependency, which is what patients are interested in.”

In the trial, some 353 patients were helped to gradually reduce their semaglutide dose over nine weeks after they had reached their target weight. During this period they lost an extra 2.1 per cent of body weight.

In total, 240 participants decided to taper down the dose and then stop altogether. Of these, 85 participants provided data six months later showing they had maintained a stable weight. A further 46 restarted semaglutide after stopping because they noticed small weight gain.

The jabs have been popularised by celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Elon Musk and Jeremy Clarkson.

The jabs mimic the action of a hormone called GLP-1 to reduce appetite, slow the release of food from the stomach and increase feelings of fullness after eating.

Prof Jason Halford, the president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, said: “This sort of personalised approach requires specialist weight management services of which we don’t have enough.”

Patients were previously warned that they would put pounds back on after discontinuing treatment