Anti-obesity drugs: rapid weight recovery and deterioration of health after discontinuation of treatment

The weight loss achieved with anti-obesity drugs is not forever: when treatment is discontinued, one starts gaining weight again at the rate of about 400 grams per month. Indicators of cardiovascular health and diabetes also worsen. These are the findings of a study by researchers from the University of Oxford published in the British Medical Journal. More than 9,000 patients who resorted to anti-obesity drugs were put under the lens. In the meantime, a ban on TV advertising on junk food before 9 p.m. has just come into force in England

New drugs for the treatment of obesity (so-called GLP-1 agonists) "are set to transform the routine treatment of obesity, with clinical trial participants losing 15-20% of their weight," the researchers write. However, "50 per cent of people with obesity stop taking GLP-1 receptor agonists within 12 months of starting treatment. Therefore, it is important to understand what happens to body weight after discontinuation'. The research jointly analysed 37 studies with a total of over 9,000 people treated with anti-obesity drugs. The patients took the treatment for about 9 months. After discontinuation it took less than 2 years for them to return to their original weight; even faster was the regression of progress in terms of cardiovascular and metabolic health markers (1.4 years). "These data suggest that despite their success in achieving initial weight loss, these drugs alone may not be sufficient for long-term weight control," stress the researchers, who point out that the research "cautions against short-term use" of these drugs. In general, they conclude in an editorial published to accompany the article Qi Sun, a professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston, 'healthy eating behaviours and lifestyles should remain the cornerstone of obesity treatment and management, with the use of drugs such as GLP-1 receptor agonists as adjuvants'.

Meanwhile, a ban on advertising for so-called junk food on television before 9pm and a total ban on online promotions has come into force in the UK. The clampdown, which aims to combat the spread of childhood obesity in the country, affects 13 categories of products high in fat, sugar and salt. Compliance with the new rules will be monitored by the Advertising Standards Authority (Asa), an advertising regulatory body. The restrictions will apply to a wide range of foods, such as soft drinks, snacks, frozen foods and sweets, based on a nutritional scoring system. Anna Taylor, director of the Food Foundation, called the measure a 'worldwide milestone' to protect children from constant exposure to advertisements that are harmful to their health. Although the ban has been in place since today, the British advertising industry had already started to voluntarily adhere to the new guidelines since last October, in order to bring ads into line with the requirements of the legislation. The initiative had been introduced by the Labour government with the aim of countering an alarming phenomenon: it is estimated that 22% of children in England are obese or overweight when they start primary school, a percentage that rises to 35.8% around the age of 10-11. On top of this, there is the widespread prevalence of tooth decay, caused by foods high in sugar. The crusade against 'junk food' had already been launched in recent years by Conservative governments, particularly the one led by Boris Johnson.