Hormonal
Incretin-based pharmacotherapy (specifically GLP-1 and GLP-1/GIP agonists like semaglutide and tirzepatide) is effective for significant weight loss and cardiovascular risk reduction in obesity, but discontinuation leads to rapid weight regain and loss of cardiometabolic benefits, necessitating long-term or lifelong therapy.
Incretin drugs like semaglutide and tirzepatide are highly effective for weight loss and heart health, but they are not a cure. If you stop taking them, you will likely regain the weight and lose the heart benefits. Therefore, these medications should be viewed as a long-term or lifelong treatment for obesity, combined with lifestyle changes, rather than a short-term fix.
According to the document, positive changes in cardiovascular risk markers and satisfactory tolerability provide grounds for using incretin therapy for obesity as a first-line treatment... published studies do not provide definitive conclusions on therapy safety and its pleiotropic cardiovascular effects... discontinuation of incretin therapy without further weight gain... remains an open issue.
Why this rating
Based on cited Phase 3 RCTs (SURMOUNT-1, STEP-1, SELECT) and expert consensus statements, though long-term safety data is noted as limited.
Source
Weight management to optimize cardiovascular health: focus on modern pharmacotherapy (opinion on the issue)
М. Н. Мамедов et al. · Russian Journal of Cardiology · 2026
DOI 10.15829/1560-4071-2026-6812
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
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