Groundbreaking new study compares Wegovy, Mounjaro and Saxenda to decide most effective for weight loss
A new study has combed through the results of thousands of people taking weight loss drugs to find out which of the various jabs on offer appears to be most effective when it comes to shedding weight.
Since they've become more widely available the drugs have been used by a huge number of people who've enjoyed the results, though some have fallen foul of the various side effects.
They all work in pretty much the same way, by mimicking the GLP-1 gut hormone which among other things tells your brain you're full and don't need to eat any more.
With a reduced food intake people on the jabs typically experience noticeable weight loss, though some who've completed their course found that they quickly put the weight back on when they returned to their previous habits.
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Aiming to find out which one is most effective, a team of researchers from the University of Georgia compared the results of 15 different studies into weight loss jabs which included the results of over 14,000 people who did not have diabetes taking the various types.
The most effective weight loss jab
The three main weight loss jabs do similar things but have different active ingredients, so Wegovy uses semaglutide, Mounjaro uses tirzepatide and Saxenda is based on liraglutide.
If you're wondering where Ozempic fits into this, that also uses semaglutide but isn't approved for weight loss and is instead used to treat diabetes so you're better off with Wegovy.
The researchers found that of the three jabs it was the tirzepatide-based Mounjaro that typically produced the best weight loss results, as their analysis of a wide range of evidence from clinical trials showed people on it lost around 20 percent of their body weight.
Coming in second place was semaglutide and Wegovy, where participants lost on average 15 percent of their body weight from a court of the jabs.
In third place it was Saxenda with eight percent of body weight lost, and the liraglutide-based drug requires daily injections rather than the weekly doses of Mounjaro and Wegovy.
The jab most likely to have side effects
Here again Mounjaro tops the charts as the researchers found it had a slightly higher likelihood of producing some side effects such as nausea and vomiting, though they did find the weight loss benefits to be most effective.
Researchers found that between 10 and 15 milligrams of Mounjaro a week appeared to be the most effective weight loss treatment of the three jabs.
While Wegovy and Saxenda only mimic GLP-1, Mounjaro also targets another gut hormone called GIP.
Doctoral student Pooja Gokhale, author of the review, said: "We were interested in finding which drug gives the most weight loss and doesn’t have higher rates of side effects like nausea and gastrointestinal problems.
"Tirzepatide seems to be the better option."
A Novo Nordisk (the makers of Wegovy and Saxenda) spokesperson told LADbible: "Obesity is a complex disease that is often misunderstood, underdiagnosed and undertreated. It requires long-term management and is influenced by a number of different factors including physiological, psychological, environmental, socio-economics and genetic factors.
"Treatment decisions should be made together with a healthcare provider who can evaluate the appropriateness of using specific medicines based on assessment of a patient’s individual medical profile."
LADbible Group has contacted Eli Lilly, the makers of Mounjaro, for comment.
Joe Harker