People who stop taking the weight-loss medication Mounjaro don't just pile the pounds back on - they also lose the cardiovascular benefits that came with shedding weight, new research has warned.
The findings from the Surmount-4 clinical trial show that discontinuing tirzepatide, Mounjaro's active ingredient, leads to reversals in improvements to blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels alongside weight regain.
Findings revealed that health gains people experience while on the medication, which can help users lose around 20 per cent of their body weight over 72 weeks, start disappearing once they stop the jabs.
Published in JAMA Internal Medicine, the research tracked what happened to patients after they ceased treatment.
Researchers were not surprised by the findings of the study
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The study involved participants with obesity or weight-related health issues who took tirzepatide for 36 weeks alongside diet and exercise support.
Researchers then split them into two groups - one continued the medication while the other switched to a placebo for another year.
The team analysed 308 people who'd lost at least 10 per cent of their body weight during the initial phase before switching to a placebo.
Their findings revealed that 82 per cent of these participants regained a quarter or more of their lost weight within 12 months of stopping.
But it wasn't just weight that returned - waist measurements increased, blood glucose levels rose, and those improvements in "bad" cholesterol and blood pressure began reversing too.
Professor Naveed Sattar from the University of Glasgow wasn't surprised by these results.
"The findings are not a surprise, as excess weight is a well-established driver of elevated blood pressure and impaired glucose control," he explained.
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He pointed out that when people regain weight after losing it through medical interventions, these cardiovascular risk factors naturally increase again, and they rise in line with how quickly and how much weight returns.
An additional worry that struck researchers is that tirzepatide and similar medications can protect heart patients from hospitalisation and death.
"So stopping them could remove a protective effect," warned Professor Sattar, who remains hopeful that more affordable ways to maintain weight loss will emerge soon.
The research team noted that participants who regained 75 per cent or more of their weight saw their health markers return to pre-treatment levels.
However, those who regained up to half their weight still maintained some improvements compared to when they started.
Professor Jane Ogden from the University of Surrey highlighted a behavioural issue - weight-loss jabs don't always lead to better eating habits.
Stopping the treatment could lead to a reversal in blood pressure improvements
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"Once stopping taking the medication, people show weight regain as they return to their previous behaviours," she said. "With this can come a reversal in cardiac benefits as their diet and exercise behaviours return to how they were before."
Separate research also suggests women who stop these medications before pregnancy face increased risks, though Professor Sattar urged caution in interpreting those findings.
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