The Study
Healthy weight loss maintenance with exercise, GLP-1 receptor agonist, or both combined followed by one year without treatment: a post-treatment analysis of a randomised placebo-controlled trial
This study didn't just watch people — it randomly assigned them to different weight-loss plans and then checked back a year later to see who kept the weight off. That's pretty strong evidence that one plan (exercise + medicine) worked better than another (medicine alone). But it's not perfect because not everyone showed up for the check-up, and those who did might have been more motivated.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
After losing weight with a diet, some people took pills, some exercised, some did both, and some did nothing. A year later, those who exercised kept more weight off — even if they stopped exercising.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 568 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — losing 5 kg more than others means you’re far less likely to return to obesity, and more likely to stay healthy long-term.
- 2People who only took liraglutide gained back 9.6 kg.
- 3Those who only exercised gained back 3.6 kg.
- 4Those who did both lost 5.1 kg more than those who only took pills.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
eClinicalMedicine
Year
2024
Authors
S. Jensen, M. B. Blond, R. M. Sandsdal, L. M. Olsen, C. Juhl, J. Lundgren, C. Janus, B. Stallknecht, J. J. Holst, S. Madsbad, S. Torekov
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who start exercising after losing weight are less likely to regain the weight, even if they do not continue to lose fat.
Obese adults who lost 13.1 kg on a low-calorie diet and then exercised with daily liraglutide 3.0 mg for one year lost an additional 5.1 kg more one year after stopping treatment than those who took liraglutide alone.
After stopping daily liraglutide 3.0 mg, obese adults regained an average of 9.6 kg within one year, and their body weight and fat mass returned to levels similar to those who took a placebo, showing no long-term weight maintenance from the drug alone.
After stopping supervised exercise without medication, people regained an average of 3.6 kilograms one year later, but 37% kept at least 10% of the weight they had lost.
People who combined supervised exercise with liraglutide lost 2.3 percentage points more body fat one year after stopping treatment than those who used liraglutide alone, and they retained more muscle while losing more fat.
One year after stopping treatment, people who had done supervised exercise during their treatment were more active in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity than those who only took liraglutide or a placebo.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.