Weight regain after total meal replacement very low-calorie diet program with and with-out anti-obesity medications

BackgroundVery low-calorie diets (VLCDs) employing total meal replacement (TMR) offer substantial short-term weight loss. Concurrently, anti-obesity medications (AOMs) have shown promise as adjunctive treatments when combined with VLCDs.AimsThis study aimed to investigate the impact of adjuvant AOMs on weight loss and weight regain within a comprehensive lifestyle program.MethodsThis is a retrospective study of patients with obesity enrolled in VLCD/TMR programs, specifically the OPTIFAST program.ResultsData from 206 patients (68% women, mean age 52.39 +/- 13.05 years, BMI 41.71 +/- 7.04 kg/m2) were analyzed. Of these, 139 received no AOM (AOM-), while 67 received AOMs (AOM+). Total body weight loss percentages (TWL%) at 6 and 18 months were -17.87% +/- 7.02 and -12.10% +/- 11.56, respectively. There was no significant difference in 6-month weight loss between the AOM groups. However, the AOM + group exhibited lower weight regain (3.29 kg +/- 10.19 vs. 7.61 kg +/- 11.96; p = 0.006) and weight regain percentage (WR%) (31.5% +/- 68.7 vs. 52.16% +/- 64.4; p = 0.04) compared with the AOM- group.ConclusionThe findings highlighted the potential of AOMs and VLCD/TMR as effective strategies for long-term weight management in individuals with obesity. This study provides evidence for the potential usefulness of incorporating AOM into comprehensive lifestyle programs that include TMR for patients with obesity. This information can assist healthcare professionals in making informed decisions regarding the use of AOM as part of weight loss interventions.image