Cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, heart attacks and congestive heart failure remain the leading cause of death worldwide. Rising obesity rates remain a major contributor to this sad statistic. A new class of drugs, peptides like semaglutide, sold under the names Ozempic and Wegovy, have been developed as drugs for diabetes but have produced significant weight loss in most patients and are prescribed to non-diabetics. diabetics. Indeed, the craze is on and costly mediations are rare. Are the weight loss and associated benefits maintained if the drug is stopped? New published data just answered this important question.
Goal of the study
To explore changes in body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors after stopping treatment in a randomized weight loss study using semaglutide or placebo.
Materials and methods
The STEP 1 study randomized 1961 overweight or obese adults without diabetes to 68 weeks of subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly (including 16 weeks of dose escalation) or placebo, in addition to a lifestyle intervention.
At week 68, treatments (including lifestyle intervention) were discontinued.
A subset of participants were followed for one year after the injections were stopped. This subset included all eligible participants from any site in Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom, as well as sites in the United States and Japan with the highest primary phase enrollment.
Results
The study included 327 participants who were followed after the injections were stopped. From week 0 to week 68, the average weight loss was 17.3% with semaglutide. After treatment discontinuation, semaglutide and placebo participants regained 11.6% of lost weight, respectively, at week 120, resulting in a final net loss of 5.6% of week body weight. 0 at week 120 in the trial. About 75% of the weight was regained.
The cardiometabolic improvements observed from week 0 to week 68 with semaglutide returned to baseline at week 120 for most variables after drug discontinuation such as blood pressure and glycemic control.
conclusion
One year after withdrawal of subcutaneous semaglutide 2.4 mg once weekly and lifestyle intervention, participants regained two-thirds of their previous weight loss, with similar changes in variables cardiometabolic.
These results confirm the chronicity of obesity and suggest that continuous treatment is necessary to maintain the improvement in weight and health.
Some potentially serious side effects can occur with these drugs, including pancreatitis, kidney failure, and medullary thyroid cancer. There is also the possibility of a risk to a developing fetus in a pregnant patient. Many patients suffer from nausea and even vomiting.
Overall, the diabetic patient who takes these medications long-term for diabetes treatment can do well and maintain their weight. Others who use it as a short-term crutch need to focus on replacing previous lifestyles with a better diet, exercise program, sleep hygiene, and general commitment to wellness.
Article courtesy of Dr. Joel Kahn, MDwho is Clinical Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine, one of the world’s top cardiologists, bestselling author, speaker, and leading expert in plant-based nutrition and holistic healing.
About the Author: In his heart, Dr Joel Kahn believes that plant-based nutrition is the most powerful source of preventative medicine on the planet. Having practiced traditional cardiology since 1983, it wasn’t until his own commitment to a plant-based vegan diet that he really began to delve into the realm of non-traditional diagnostic tools, prevention tactics, and nutrition-based recovery protocols.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice. please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement.
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