People who stop weight-loss drugs may gain back weight and lose heart benefits
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
The BMJResearchers reviewed 37 earlier studies involving 9,341 adults with obesity. All the studies compared the weight-loss medications against an inactive treatment or nondrug weight-loss approaches such as diet and exercise. Participants who took weight-loss drugs were treated for an average of about 10 months. The studies tracked participants for a variety of time periods, none longer than two years.
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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