2024-07-08 19:59:48
Losing weight permanently – weight loss injections make this possible. However, there are differences in the effect on excess kilos. This is shown by a study.
A comparative study confirms that greater weight loss can be achieved with the active ingredient tirzepatide than with semaglutide. The risk of side effects for both substances is comparable, reports a research team in the journal “JAMA Internal Medicine”. However, no statements could be made from the analysis about long-term effects or the achievement of important goals such as a reduced risk of heart attacks.
Both active ingredients have long been used to treat type 2 diabetes and, since 2023, also in overweight or obese people without diabetes – with patients being asked to change their diet and exercise more. Tirzepatide for weight loss is available in Germany under the trade name “Mounjaro” (company: Eli Lilly), semaglutide (Novo Nordisk) as “Wegovy”.
The researchers led by Nicholas Stucky from the US company Truveta in Bellevue, which specializes in the analysis of electronic health data, used data from around 18,000 adults with overweight or obesity who were treated with semaglutide or tirzepatide in the USA. Their average age was 52 years, and their average weight at the start of therapy was 110 kilograms.
It was recorded whether a weight loss of at least five, ten or 15 percent was achieved and how the weight had developed after three, six and twelve months of therapy. Patients who received tirzepatide achieved weight loss noticeably more often. In addition, the changes in their weight were on average greater.
The results confirm indications from previous studies, as the researchers explain. Some data in detail: Almost 82 percent of the men and women treated with tirzepatide achieved a weight loss of five percent or more, with semaglutide it was around 67 percent. A reduction of 15 percent or more was achieved by around 42 percent (tirzepatide) and 18 percent (semaglutide). The rate of gastrointestinal problems such as nausea, diarrhea and constipation as side effects was similar in both groups.
The study also confirmed that overweight people without type 2 diabetes lose more weight on average than patients with this diagnosis. “The reasons for this are unclear,” say the researchers.
One possible reason is a different motivation for losing weight, combined with making more necessary changes such as a different diet and more exercise. In other words, people who want to reduce their weight may be more committed to it than people for whom the substances are just part of their regular diabetes treatment.
Stucky’s team points out that the study looked at treatment with drugs that are approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. “Future studies are needed to compare versions that are approved for weight loss.” Analyses are also needed to determine how well the active ingredients reduce cardiovascular problems and other consequences of obesity in comparison.
A striking detail is also mentioned: for more than half of the women and men included, treatment ended because the patient discontinued it. The proportion differed little between tirzepatide and semaglutide.
The researchers explain that the reason for this was not recorded. Possible reasons include undesirable side effects, the high costs of the therapy that patients have to pay for themselves, or bottlenecks in the availability of the medication.
The high dropout rate is particularly worrying because several studies have shown that this can lead to a yo-yo effect: weight increases significantly again after stopping. The active ingredients must therefore be used virtually for life to achieve a lasting effect – although the long-term consequences are still unclear.
Tirzepatide and semaglutide are among the so-called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They are now widely known to the public as weight-loss injections – not least because US celebrities use them for this purpose. The substances mimic the effect of the body’s own hormone GLP-1. They trigger the brain to feel full. Feelings of hunger are reduced, food cravings are less frequent and less severe, and the preference for particularly fatty foods disappears.