Weight Lost on Slimming Injections Returns Within Two Years After Treatment Stops, Study Finds

People who stop using weight-loss injections regain the weight they lost in under two years, according to a major new study. The research, led by academics at University of Oxford and published in the BMJ, analysed 37 studies involving more than 9,000 participants using GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. These medicines, originally developed for diabetes, suppress appetite by mimicking a gut hormone linked to fullness. The analysis found that people regained weight at an average rate of 0.4kg per month after stopping treatment, returning to their original weight within about 1.7 years. Weight regain occurred almost four times faster than in people following behavioural weight-loss programmes such as diet and exercise plans. Participants lost an average of 8.3kg during treatment but regained nearly 5kg within the first year of stopping. Researchers also found that improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol reversed within around 1.4 years. Experts stressed this does not mean the drugs fail, but reflects obesity as a chronic condition requiring long-term management. Health leaders, including the NHS and Diabetes UK, said the findings underline the need for sustained lifestyle support alongside medication, warning the injections are not a quick fix but a tool that works best as part of a broader, long-term approach.