The Digester

A Cambridge meta-analysis finds people typically regain 60% of weight lost on GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy within a year, with regain slowing and plateauing so about 25% of loss may be maintained, but the composition of regained weight and long-term outcomes remain unclear.

A University of Cambridge review of 48 studies used six RCTs involving more than 3,200 people to model weight regain after stopping GLP-1 receptor agonists.
On average people regained 60% of the weight they lost within 52 weeks of stopping the drugs.
The model projects weight regain will plateau at about 75% of the original loss, leaving roughly 25% of initial weight loss sustained long term.
It is unclear whether regained weight is mainly fat or muscle, and prior studies indicate 40 to 60% of on-treatment weight loss may be lean mass.
About half of patients stop these drugs within one year and three quarters within two years, often because of side effects or access limits, and researchers advise combining medication with diet and exercise to reduce regain.
The analysis is limited by trial follow-up of only up to 52 weeks and by inclusion criteria that required at least 3 kg on-treatment weight loss, so longer-term outcomes are uncertain.

People regain 60% of lost weight a year after stopping Ozempic and Wegovy but keep 25% off

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