How much weight changed in a major trial?
STEP 1 was a study of adults without diabetes. Some participants had obesity, a medical category of high body weight. Others had overweight, a lower weight category, plus a health problem linked to weight.
These descriptions tell you who took part, not what result you can expect.
The semaglutide group’s average loss after 68 weeks was 14.9% of starting weight; the placebo group’s average was 2.4%.
A placebo is a dummy treatment that does not contain the active medicine.
Both groups also received help with lifestyle changes, and the trial was funded by the medicine’s maker, Novo Nordisk.
An average is a way to describe the group. It cannot tell you what your own result will be. It is worth asking what would count as useful progress for your health.
What happened after treatment ended?
In the STEP 1 follow-up, people had stopped treatment. After one year without treatment, about two-thirds of the earlier weight loss had come back.
How long to continue is a decision to discuss with the person prescribing your medicine.
Can a trial answer which service to choose?
The medicine and the service are different questions. Ask how a service will assess you, check progress and discuss a change of plan. A study result is not a review of an online service.
- Which product and form are we discussing?
- What would a useful result look like for me?
- How will progress and problems be reviewed?
- If I wanted to stop treatment, what should we talk through together?