Study Finds Rapid Weight Regain After Stopping Weight-Loss Jabs

People who stop taking weight-loss injections regain the weight they lost in under two years, according to a major new analysis. The study, led by researchers at the University of Oxford and published in the BMJ, reviewed 37 studies involving more than 9,300 participants using GLP-1 weight-loss medications. On average, participants regained weight at a rate of 0.4kg per month after stopping treatment, returning to their original weight within about 1.7 years. The regain occurred nearly four times faster than in people following behavioural weight-loss programmes such as diet or exercise plans. Researchers also found that improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol reversed within 1.4 years of stopping medication. Experts stressed this does not reflect a failure of the drugs, but highlights obesity as a chronic condition requiring long-term management and wider lifestyle support.