FRIDAY, Feb. 23, 2024 (HealthDay News) — An unanswered question about weight loss drugs like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Zepbound is whether people still lose weight when they stop taking them.
Regular exercise may be the key to quitting drugs without gaining weight back, according to a new Danish study.
“If you follow a structured exercise plan, it is actually possible to stop taking the drug without gaining much weight back,” said Signe Sørensen-Trekov, a senior researcher at the University of Copenhagen.
Researchers have found that even just a few hours of exercise a week can help maintain the weight lost with medication.
“Our study brings new hope as it shows that the majority of people who take weight loss drugs and exercise regularly can maintain their beneficial effects a year after treatment ends. ,” Professor Tolekov said in a university news release.
For this study, the researchers recruited four groups of test participants.
One group was given a weight loss drug, a second group was asked to exercise regularly, and a third group was given the drug and asked to exercise. The fourth group received a placebo.
Results showed that the exercise group experienced improved quality of life. And those who took the drug while exercising did not lose weight when they stopped the drug.
The new study was published on February 19 in the journal lancet electronic clinical medicine.
“All you need is two hours a week of exercise that gets your heart rate up and gets you out of breath,” said lead researcher Simon Burke Kjaer Jensen, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Copenhagen.
“And that may vary from person to person,” Jensen added. “People with severe obesity and low initial fitness levels may be fine with brisk walking, while those with high fitness levels may need to practice running or cycling.”
Based on this data, doctors should consider prescribing exercise along with weight loss medications to increase people’s chances of maintaining their weight loss.
“This study makes me want to advise against taking medications without increasing your physical activity, especially if you don’t want to take them for the rest of your life,” Trekov said. “The good news is that maintaining weight loss after treatment is possible, but only when combined with exercise.”
For more information
Mayo Clinic has more information about weight loss drugs.
Source: University of Copenhagen, News Release, February 20, 2024