Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists are powerful weight loss medications that can help you lose 10 to 20 percent of your body weight. They can also help regulate blood sugars in those with diabetes as well as improve health outcomes for cardiovascular patients.
But the medications are also pricey, and many people may not want to take them indefinitely. So, what happens when you stop? Can you still enjoy the benefits of the medications?
GLP-1s and Weight Loss
We initially thought that GLP-1s worked by delaying gastric emptying, but now experts understand that it has more to do with receptors in the brain that control satiety and hunger. The medications are appetite suppressants that help people to eat less.
A study published in the journal Vitamins and Hormones found that taking the medications decreased inflammation and modulated reward cues in the brain so that foods, especially unhealthy foods, were not as appealing as they had been prior to taking the medications.
But once you stop taking them, like taking diabetes or cholesterol medications, they no longer work, which shows us that weight loss is about much more than just eating less.
Read More: The Difference Between Zepbound and Ozempic, and How They Work
Re-Bound Effect Once GLP-1s Stop
According to Ziyad Al-Aly, chief of research and development at the Veterans Affairs St. Louis Healthcare System and expert in GLP-1s, when you’re on these medications, you not only lose weight, but your LDL, or low-density lipoprotein goes down as well as triglycerides and overall chronic inflammation.
“It’s not just about weight, it’s about metabolic health, but when you stop taking them, it comes back really quickly,” says Al-Aly.
There’s a rebound effect that goes far beyond weight and Al-Aly says that there is a danger that could put people at risk of cardiac events. When stopping so quickly, the body begins to undergo wild swings in metabolic health. While the research isn’t clear, this is a growing concern.
A study published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism found that patients who stopped taking GLP-1s regained two-thirds of their prior weight loss and cardiometabolic improvements also returned to where they had been prior to the medications.
Hormone Changes During Weight Loss
When you start losing weight, your metabolism also goes down because your body is trying to protect you from starvation. That’s because in our ancient past, human bodies didn’t always have food close at hand, and our evolution has yet to catch up with the increased accessibility of food.
“When you’re losing weight, your hunger hormone ghrelin increases and your satiety hormones, including GLP-1, go down,” says Carolynn Francavilla, an obesity physician who owns and operates Green Mountain Partners for Health and Colorado Weight Care, both in Denver.
A study published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology investigated hormonal changes that went along with dieting, showing reductions in serum levels of the hormone leptin, which controls satiety, for example.
The medications are mitigating this effect by suppressing your appetite, which should go up when you’re losing weight, but on these medications, it goes down. Still, if you stop taking them, your appetite comes back in full force, which is the main reason why we see weight regain once you stop taking GLP-1s.
The bottom line is that these medications only work effectively if you take them.
This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
Read More: Ozempic and Other GLP-1 Side Effects May Outweigh the Benefits
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
- Harvard Health Publishing. How does Ozempic work? Understanding GLP-1s for diabetes, weight loss, and beyond
- Vitamins and Hormones. Chapter Fifteen - Effects of Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) analogs in the hippocampus
- National Library of Medicine. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension
- National Library of Medicine. The Effects of Intensive Weight Reduction on Body Composition and Serum Hormones in Female Fitness Competitors
