Hormonal
Subcutaneous semaglutide (2.0 mg or higher, once weekly) produces significant weight loss and cardiometabolic improvements in adults with overweight or obesity, with efficacy increasing in patients with Class II obesity and higher dosages.
If you have overweight or obesity, subcutaneous semaglutide taken once weekly at a dose of 2.0 mg or higher is a highly effective treatment for weight loss. It works best when combined with lifestyle changes (diet and exercise). You can expect significant weight loss (nearly 9 kg on average in this analysis) and improvements in waist circumference and BMI. Patients with more severe obesity (Class II) tend to lose more weight. While gastrointestinal side effects like nausea are common, serious side effects are rare. The once-weekly schedule is preferred for adherence and safety over daily dosing.
Semaglutide was associated with a significant reduction on weight loss related outcomes, including the absolute value of weight loss (WMD -8·97, 95% CI -10·73 to -7·21), percentage of weight loss (WMD -10·00, 95% CI -11·99 to -8·00), body mass index (WMD-3·19, 95% CI -4·02 to -2·37) and waist circumference (WMD -7·21,95% CI -8·87 to -5·56). Subgroup analyses illustrated participants with high weekly dosage, long-term treatment duration and severe baseline BMI (Class II obesity) had a more remarkably decreasing on the main outcomes of weight loss.
Why this rating
Meta-analysis of 13 RCTs with moderate-to-high GRADE ratings for primary outcomes, though high heterogeneity (I2 >90%) was noted for weight metrics.
Source
Efficacy and safety of subcutaneous semaglutide in adults with overweight or obese: a subgroup meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Rui Zhang et al. · Frontiers in Endocrinology · 2023
DOI 10.3389/fendo.2023.1132004
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