Semaglutide sustains lower calorie intake for more than a year
New research from Penn Medicine finds that semaglutide impacts remain, even as feelings of hunger gradually return.
2 min. read
People taking semaglutide for weight loss continue to consume significantly fewer calories after 60 weeks on the medication, helping explain how the medication supports both initial weight loss and long-term weight maintenance. The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and led by investigators from Penn’s Center for Weight and Eating Disorders and Penn Metabolic Medicine, is among the first to examine the long-term effects of semaglutide on eating behavior beyond the initial months of treatment.
Researchers have found that while some of the medication’s early reduction of hunger and food-related thoughts become less pronounced over time, participants continue to eat substantially fewer calories than those receiving placebo after more than a year of treatment.
“Many patients worry that their medication has stopped working if they notice some return of hunger after the first several months,” says Jena S. Tronieri, lead author of the study and senior research investigator in the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. “Our findings show that even when people feel some of those sensations returning, semaglutide continues to help them eat less. That sustained reduction in calorie intake appears to be a key reason why weight loss is maintained over time.”
The study also explores participants’ feelings of hunger, fullness, and food preoccupation (i.e., “food noise”). During the first 20 weeks, participants taking semaglutide reported less hunger, greater appetite control, and fewer thoughts about food. However, by weeks 40 and 60, the differences between the semaglutide and placebo groups on many of these subjective measures were no longer statistically significant.
“This study highlights an important distinction between people’s perceptions of their appetite and how they actually eat,” says Thomas A. Wadden, a professor of psychology in psychiatry and former director of the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders. “People taking semaglutide for weight loss often notice dramatic reductions in hunger and food noise when they begin this treatment. If those sensations gradually become less noticeable, some may incorrectly assume the medication is no longer effective.”
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