Weight Returns Within Two Years After Stopping Weight-Loss Jabs, Major 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 found weight returned far faster than after diet or exercise-based programmes. The drugs, known as GLP-1 agonists, were originally developed to treat diabetes and suppress appetite. The analysis was led by academics at the University of Oxford and published in the BMJ. It reviewed 37 studies involving more than 9,300 participants. On average, people regained weight at a rate of 0.4kg per month after stopping medication. Most returned to their original weight within 1.7 years. Weight regain occurred almost four times faster than after behavioural weight-loss programmes. Researchers said this reflects obesity as a chronic condition, not a failure of the drugs. Improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol also reversed within about 1.4 years. Experts stress the medicines are effective but require long-term use or strong lifestyle support. The NHS said the drugs are not a magic fix and must be combined with diet and physical activity guidance to sustain benefits.