How a Weight Loss Shot Changes Your Brain’s Reaction to Food
Longer‐term liraglutide administration at the highest dose approved for obesity increases reward‐related orbitofrontal cortex activation in response to food cues: Implications for plateauing weight loss in response to anti‐obesity therapies
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how a medicine called liraglutide, used for weight loss, affects the brain when people see food. It found that after 5 weeks, people lost weight and their brains reacted differently to food pictures — but only when we account for the weight they lost.
Surprising Findings
Liraglutide increased brain activity in the reward center when adjusted for weight loss—opposite to expected suppression.
Most assumed GLP-1 drugs reduce food reward signaling. This shows the brain may actually amplify reward signals as a defense against weight loss, a 'counter-regulatory' response.
Practical Takeaways
If you're on a GLP-1 drug and hit a weight loss plateau, it may not be your fault—your brain could be pushing back.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study looked at how a medicine called liraglutide, used for weight loss, affects the brain when people see food. It found that after 5 weeks, people lost weight and their brains reacted differently to food pictures — but only when we account for the weight they lost.
Surprising Findings
Liraglutide increased brain activity in the reward center when adjusted for weight loss—opposite to expected suppression.
Most assumed GLP-1 drugs reduce food reward signaling. This shows the brain may actually amplify reward signals as a defense against weight loss, a 'counter-regulatory' response.
Practical Takeaways
If you're on a GLP-1 drug and hit a weight loss plateau, it may not be your fault—your brain could be pushing back.
Publication
Journal
Diabetes
Year
2019
Authors
Olivia M. Farr, J. Upadhyay, Chelsea Rutagengwa, Bridget DiPrisco, Zachary Ranta, Amal Adra, Neha Bapatla, V. P. Douglas, K. Douglas, Eric Nolen-Doerr, H. Mathew, C. Mantzoros
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Claims (5)
If you're an obese adult, taking a daily injection of liraglutide for 5 weeks might help you lose about 2.7% more weight than if you took a fake pill, and it could also lower your blood sugar, bad cholesterol, and waist size — plus you might naturally eat less fat and fewer calories.
If someone is obese and takes a weight-loss drug called liraglutide for 5 weeks, their brain doesn’t react differently to pictures of food — at least not if we don’t factor in how much weight they lost.
When people with obesity take a weight-loss drug called liraglutide for 5 weeks, their brain's food-reward area becomes more active when they see food — even after accounting for weight loss, which might mean the brain is fighting back against losing weight.
When people take liraglutide for weight loss, their brain's 'decision-making' area might become more active as a way to push back against further weight loss — which could be why the pounds stop dropping after a while.
Taking the drug liraglutide at 3.0 mg might help people with obesity better control their impulses, like stopping themselves from doing something quickly, even if their reaction speed didn't clearly improve.