Health

Study: People Regain Weight After Stopping Weight-Loss Jabs

MAY 15 2025·Updated MAY 16 2025

Story

Above: A woman having her waist measured with a measuring-tape. Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

After analyzing data from 11 trials involving over 6,300 patients, a comprehensive Oxford University study has found that people using weight-loss injections typically lost an average of 8kg (18lb), but regained their original weight within 10 months of discontinuing treatment.
Express.co.uk
The Telegraph
The study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, found that patients taking newer medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro lost an average of 16kg, but regained approximately 10kg within a year of stopping treatment.
Guardian
The Times of India
The Sun
According to the researchers, the rapid weight regain may occur because patients using the drugs don't develop behavioral strategies for maintaining weight loss, as the medications primarily work by suppressing hunger.
The Telegraph
The Times of India
Study co-author Professor Susan Jebb, an expert in diet and population health at the University of Oxford, said: "These drugs are very effective at helping you lose weight, but when you stop them, weight regain is much faster than [after stopping] diets."
Express.co.uk
The Sun
The UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that patients follow a diet and physical activity program and avoid weight loss injections for more than two years.
BBC News
The BMJ
Previous research indicates that weight regain after stopping these medications occurs more rapidly than with traditional diets, which typically take at least five years for complete weight return.
Daily Mail
Guardian

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

These revolutionary medications represent the most effective pharmaceutical intervention ever developed for obesity treatment, delivering unprecedented weight loss results of 12-18% in clinical trials. The drugs offer a powerful tool for addressing the obesity epidemic, particularly for those who have struggled with traditional weight loss methods, and can transform lives and significantly improve health outcomes.

Metro

Guardian

Narrative B

The current approach to weight loss medications is unsustainable and potentially harmful. Additionally, the high cost makes them inaccessible to many, while the rapid weight regain after discontinuation creates a cycle of dependency. Without addressing root causes through lifestyle changes and behavioral support, these drugs merely offer a temporary fix rather than a long-term solution to obesity.