Washington Post: For all the drugs’ promise, their benefits come with another important caveat: They don’t necessarily stick around. Early evidence suggests many of these effects fade once the medication is stopped. Weight regain can start within weeks of stopping the drug — and studies suggest many patients regain much of the weight within a year. This month, a new study in BMJ Medicine showed that even a short break from the drugs significantly increases the risk of heart attack, stroke and death compared with being on the medicines — and the effects may not be fully reversible.
Even so, GLP-1s are forcing scientists to rethink what a single drug can do. Beyond metabolism, the medications appear to influence inflammation, the immune system and brain function, revealing how interconnected these systems may be…