(Press-News.org) New research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO2023, Dublin, 17-20 May) shows that the obesity drug semaglutide is effective for weight loss in a multicentre, 1-year-long real-world study. The study is by Dr Andres Acosta and Dr Wissam Ghusn, Precision Medicine for Obesity Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA and colleagues.
Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, is the most recently FDA-approved anti-obesity medication. It has shown significant weight loss outcomes in multiple long-term randomised clinical trials and short-term real-world studies. However, little is known about the weight loss and metabolic parameters outcomes in mid-term real-world studies. In this study, the authors assessed weight loss outcomes associated with semaglutide in patients with overweight and obesity with and without type 2 diabetes (T2DM) at 1 year follow-up.
They performed a retrospective, multicentre (Mayo Clinic Hospitals: Minnesota, Arizona, and Florida) data collection on the use of semaglutide for the treatment of obesity. They included patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥27 kg/m2 (overweight and all higher BMI categories) who were prescribed weekly semaglutide subcutaneous injections (doses 0.25, 0.5, 1, 1.7, 2, 2.4mg; however most were on the higher dose 2.4mg). They excluded patients taking other medications for obesity, those with a history of obesity surgery, those with cancer, and those who were pregnant.
The primary end point was total body weight loss percentage (TBWL%) at 1 year. Secondary end points included proportion of patients achieving ≥5%, ≥10%, ≥15%, and ≥20% TBWL%, change in metabolic and cardiovascular parameters (blood pressure, HbA1c [glycated haemoglobin, a measure of blood sugar control], fasting glucose and blood fats), TBWL% of patients with and without T2DM, and frequency of side effects during the first year of therapy.
A total of 305 patients were included in the analysis (73% female, mean age 49 years, 92% white, mean BMI 41, 26% with T2DM) . Baseline characteristics and weight management visit details are presented in Table 1 full abstract. In the entire cohort, the mean TBWL% was 13.4% at 1 year (for the 110 patients who had weight data at 1 year). Patients with T2DM had a lower TBWL% of 10.1% for the 45 of 110 patients with data at 1 year, compared to those without T2DM of 16.7% for the 65 of 110 patients with data at 1 year.
The percentage of patients that lost more than 5% of their body weight was 82%, more than 10% was 65%, more than 15% was 41%, and more than 20% was 21% at 1 year. Semaglutide treatment also significantly decreased systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 6.8/2.5 mmHg; total cholesterol by 10.2 mg/dL; LDL of 5.1 mg/dL; and triglycerides of 17.6 mg/dL. Half of the patients experienced side effects related to the medication use (154/305) with the most reported being nausea (38%) and diarrhoea (9%) (Figure 1D). The side effects were mostly mild not affecting the quality of life but in 16 cases they resulted in stopping the medication.
The authors conclude: “Semaglutide was associated significant weight loss and metabolic parameters improvement at 1 year in a multi-site real-world study, demonstrating its effectiveness in the treatment of obesity, in patients with and without T2DM.”
The Mayo team are preparing several other manuscripts relating to semaglutide, including weight outcomes in patients who had weight recurrence after bariatric surgery; weight loss outcomes in patients who were on other anti-obesity medications previously compared to those who were not.
Dr Andres Acosta, Precision Medicine for Obesity Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. E) Acosta.Andres@mayo.edu
Dr Wissam Ghusn, Precision Medicine for Obesity Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA. E) ghusn.wissam@mayo.edu
Tony Kirby in the ECO Media Centre. T) +44 7834 385827 E) tony.kirby@tonykirby.com
This press release is based on poster presentation PO4.099 at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO). The material has been peer reviewed by the congress selection committee. There is no full paper at this stage.
END
Semaglutide shown to be effective for weight loss in multicentre, one-year real-world study
2023-05-20
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Consequences of uncontrolled hunger in teenagers living with obesity examined in international study
2023-05-20
Teenagers living with obesity who say hunger is preventing them from losing weight (hunger-barrier ALwO) perceive their weight more negatively and worry about it more than youngsters who don’t see hunger as an obstacle, new research being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May) shows.
The international study also found that hunger-barrier ALwO are more likely to be female and more likely to say their weight makes them unhappy and leads to them being bullied. They are also more likely to be actively trying to lose weight.
Dr Bassam Bin-Abbas, of the Department of Paediatrics, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, Riyadh, ...
Stress hormone measured in hair predicts who is likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases
2023-05-20
New research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May) suggests that glucocorticoid levels (a class of steroid hormones secreted as a response to stress) present in the hair of individuals may indicate which of them are more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in the future.
“There is a tremendous amount of evidence that chronic stress is a serious factor in determining overall health. Now our findings indicate that people with higher long-term hair glucocorticoid ...
New high risk, high reward studies will tackle key unanswered questions about our planet
2023-05-20
NERC has invested £25 million in a host of high risk, high reward research projects to tackle critical environment challenges.
The 44 projects cover the full spectrum of environmental science including geology, atmospheric science, biodiversity and ecology.
The research will, for example:
improve our understanding of volcanic activity such as eruptions a lava flows
age the Earth’s solid inner core
investigate historic mass extinction events
predict future changes to carbon ...
A toddler’s gut bacteria predict whether they will be overweight at 5 years old
2023-05-20
The make-up and volume of gut bacteria in toddlers at 3.5 years old is predictive of body mass index (BMI) at age 5, irrespective of whether they are born prematurely or not, according to new research, being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May).
The findings also identified differences in the bacteria that colonise the gut seen in adults living with obesity, suggesting that changes in the gut microbiota that predispose to adult obesity begin in early childhood.
The make-up of the gut microbiota grows and changes in the first few months and years of life and ...
Scientists will tune-in to the sound of the Amazon to discover how climate change and human disturbance are affecting tropical forest animals
2023-05-20
Scientists are to deploy a network of microphones in the Amazon rainforest to listen and measure the numbers and species of birds, insects and other wildlife.
The use of ‘ecoacoustics’ forms part of RAINFAUNA - a £1 million study by an international team of researchers led by scientists at Lancaster University that will provide the first large-scale understanding of how humans are affecting the animals that call tropical forests home.
Tropical forests are under threat. In the Amazon, at least 17% of primary ...
IOP Publishing celebrates 100th birthday of the oldest scientific measurement journal
2023-05-20
IOP Publishing (IOPP) is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Measurement Science and Technology, the world’s oldest scientific instrumentation and measurement journal and the first research journal produced by the Institute of Physics.
To mark the occasion, Measurement Science and Technology has pulled together a collection of articles which revisit some of the research themes published in the first volume, and looks at the latest advancements in metrology. The collection includes papers on developments in the fields of ultrasound ...
Treatment for opioid use disorder rises after Medicare OKs methadone coverage
2023-05-19
The use of methadone among Medicare beneficiaries to treat opioid use disorder increased sharply after the program began covering the drug, with evidence suggesting the change created new treatment rather than displacing use of other medications, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
Studying a large group of Medicare Advantage enrollees, the study found that a Medicare coverage expansion to include methadone in 2020 did not appear to reduce the use of buprenorphine, another medication used to treat opioid use disorder.
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, found that much of the rise in methadone ...
Illinois Tech researchers unveil key predictors of bitcoin returns
2023-05-19
CHICAGO—May 19, 2023—Blockchain technology, investor sentiment, and economic stress levels are significant predictors of bitcoin returns, according to a groundbreaking paper from Illinois Institute of Technology researchers that provides empirical evidence to help guide investors, economists, and academics.
Sang Baum “Solomon” Kang, associate professor of finance at Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business and co-author of the paper, also found that the cryptocurrency is detached from economic fundamentals and therefore may not effectively serve as a diversifier or safe-haven asset. Additionally, Kang reported that returns on commodities, ...
SCAI announces second cycle recipients of Early Career Research Grants
2023-05-19
PHOENIX (May 19, 2023) – Today, the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) announced the recipients of the second cycle of Early Career Research Grants, an initiative offered by SCAI to support the next generation of interventional cardiologists in advancing their research careers. The second cycle recipients were presented during the Early Career Award Presentations at the SCAI 2023 Scientific Sessions in Phoenix.
The Early Career Research Grants provide a platform for junior-level investigators who are within ten years of completing an interventional cardiology fellowship to study high-priority, clinically ...
New study shows noninvasive brain imaging can distinguish among hand gestures
2023-05-19
LA JOLLA, CA, May 19, 2023 — Researchers from University of California San Diego have found a way to distinguish among hand gestures that people are making by examining only data from noninvasive brain imaging, without information from the hands themselves. The results are an early step in developing a non-invasive brain-computer interface that may one day allow patients with paralysis, amputated limbs or other physical challenges to use their mind to control a device that assists with everyday tasks.
The research, recently published online ahead of print in the journal Cerebral Cortex, represents the best results thus far in distinguishing single-hand ...