Weight Returns Within Two Years After Stopping Weight-Loss Jabs, Major Study Finds

People who stop taking weight-loss injections regain the weight they lost in under two years, according to a large new analysis. The study examined GLP-1 agonist medications, originally developed for diabetes, which suppress appetite by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone. Researchers from the University of Oxford reviewed 37 studies involving more than 9,000 participants, with findings published in the BMJ. On average, participants regained weight at a rate of 0.4kg per month after stopping treatment and returned to their original weight within 1.7 years. Weight regain occurred almost four times faster than in behavioural weight-loss programmes such as diet and exercise plans. Although participants lost an average of 8.3kg while on medication, nearly 5kg returned within the first year of stopping. Researchers also found that improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol reversed within about 1.4 years. Experts stressed this reflects obesity as a chronic condition rather than a failure of the drugs, highlighting the need for long-term support. Organisations including Diabetes UK and the NHS emphasised that weight-loss medications must be combined with lifestyle and behavioural support to sustain benefits.