A recent study has revealed that individuals who stop using the popular weight-loss medication Mounjaro experience a significant reversal of the health benefits associated with its use. What are Mounjaro’s ingredients? Mounjaro contains the active ingredient tirzepatide. With its weight loss benefits, tirzepatide quickly became a popular and effective treatment for obesity and related health issues. It’s shown in clinical research that participants are able to lose an average of 20% of their body weight following 72 weeks of continuous treatment. Yet real-world evidence from the Surmount-4 trial shows these advantages are not maintained once treatment stops.
Mounjaro was designed to be prescribed for the treatment of overweight and obesity. It has served as a boon to people who experience at least one weight-related health challenge, such as hypertension or high cholesterol. In the Surmount-4 trial, participants received Mounjaro for 36 weeks along with dietary and exercise support. Following this period, participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: one continued with Mounjaro for an additional 52 weeks, while the other switched to a placebo.
The results were striking. One year after discontinuation of Mounjaro, 82% of participants had lost 25% or more of their total weight loss. This weight regain was not just cosmetic; it was associated with a reversal in other health improvements. The study noted that when Mounjaro is discontinued, reductions in blood pressure and levels of “bad” cholesterol tend to revert to baseline levels.
“Once stopping taking the medication, people show weight regain as they return to their previous behaviours. With this can come a reversal in cardiac benefits as their diet and exercise behaviours return to how they were before,” – Jane Ogden
In particular, experts have highlighted the need for long-term approaches to successful weight loss and the promotion of overall health—not just weight loss alone. The team behind the study emphasized that “support the importance of long-term maintenance of weight reduction through lifestyle intervention and obesity management medications to sustain cardiometabolic benefits and improved health-related quality of life.”
According to these trial findings, Mounjaro works effectively in combination with diet and exercise to produce clinically impactful weight loss and improve various obesity-related health markers. Unfortunately, these benefits quickly disappear after treatment completion. Naveed Sattar pointed out the implications of stopping the medication: “So stopping them could remove a protective effect.” This sentiment is echoed by the study’s team, who noted that “overall, at week 88, participants with 75% or more weight regain after tirzepatide withdrawal reversed cardiometabolic parameters to baseline (week 0) values.”
In a related note, behavioral scientist Jane Ogden has expressed concerns about the behavioral impacts of the use of Mounjaro. She noticed seeing patients who were usually very healthy eaters to begin with. Eventually, as they become more dependent on the medication, they start making poorer dietary decisions.
“Women receiving [weight-loss jabs] would likely have entered pregnancy at a lower weight than they otherwise would have, and this weight difference is extremely difficult to fully account for in observational analyses,” – Naveed Sattar
The results of this study are now available in the journal Jama Internal Medicine. Researchers involved in this study included experts from Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company that produces Mounjaro. This research further highlights the critical need for successful obesity management strategies. What’s needed to be effective, these strategies should integrate medical interventions with public promotion of basic lifestyle changes.