Study Finds Rapid Weight Regain After Stopping Weight-Loss Injections

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 diet or exercise programmes. The drugs, known as GLP-1 agonists, helped users lose an average of 8.3kg during treatment, but nearly 5kg was regained within a year of stopping. Overall, participants returned to their original weight in about 1.7 years, with regain occurring almost four times faster than after behavioural weight-loss plans. The findings, published in the BMJ, also showed that improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol reversed within 1.4 years. Researchers said the results reflect obesity’s chronic nature rather than failure of the drugs. Experts from Diabetes UK and the NHS stressed the importance of long-term lifestyle support alongside medication to maintain health benefits.