Patients regain two-thirds of lost weight after stopping semaglutide
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Daily Maverick
Illustrative image · cottonbro studio · Pexels · Licence PexelsA trial of semaglutide found that participants regained about two-thirds of the weight they had lost in the year after stopping treatment. A body-composition analysis also indicates that nearly 39% of the loss concerned lean mass, doctor Linia Patel highlights in her book, cited by the Daily Maverick.
Participants in the STEP 1 trial who stopped taking semaglutide regained about two-thirds of the weight they had lost within a year. They had lost an average of 17.3% of their body weight after 68 weeks of treatment, according to results cited by doctor Linia Patel in her book Life After Weight-Loss Medication and reported by the Daily Maverick.
A DEXA body-composition analysis of 140 participants estimated that 5.3 kg of the 13.6 kg lost, or 39%, was lean mass. This mass includes muscles and organ tissue, among other things. Its reduction can decrease mobility, slow the metabolism and increase the risk of sarcopenia, a progressive loss of strength and independence, Linia Patel explains.
The weight regained after stopping treatment would mainly consist of fat. The phenomenon poses a particular risk to older people, who have fewer muscle reserves and find it more difficult to recover their lean mass. Linia Patel believes older female patients can use these medicines, provided they maintain their diet and muscle mass, reports the Daily Maverick.
