Weight Lost on GLP-1 Jabs Returns Within Two Years After Treatment Stops, Study Finds

People who stop taking weight-loss injections regain the weight they lost in under two years, according to a major new study. Researchers from the University of Oxford analysed 37 studies involving more than 9,000 participants and found weight returned far faster than with other weight-loss approaches. The findings, published in the BMJ, show that people who discontinued GLP-1 medications regained weight at an average rate of 0.4kg per month, returning to their original weight in about 1.7 years. Weight-loss drugs produced an average loss of 8.3kg during treatment, but nearly 5kg was regained within the first year of stopping. The rate of regain was almost four times faster than after behavioural programmes such as diet or exercise plans. Researchers also found that improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol reversed within 1.4 years of stopping treatment. Experts said the findings reflect obesity’s chronic nature rather than a failure of the drugs. Diabetes UK and the Obesity Health Alliance stressed the need for long-term support and healthier food environments. An NHS spokesperson said weight-loss medications must be combined with sustained lifestyle and behavioural support to achieve lasting results.