What\u2019s feeding your hunger? New research suggests that your motivation for eating that second slice of pizza could influence how well you respond to blockbuster GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy. The study sheds new light on why some people lose up to 20% of their body weight on these drugs \u2014 while others barely budge the scale.<\/p>\n
The findings may help predict who will benefit most from GLP-1 weight loss drugs. ryanking999 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span> In the study, Yabe and his colleagues followed 92 people in Japan with type 2 diabetes who were newly prescribed GLP-1s. Over the course of a year, the researchers tracked their weight, body composition, diet, blood sugar, cholesterol \u2014 and, importantly, their eating behaviors. GLP-1s have exploded in popularity in recent years amid a burgeoning obesity epidemic in the US. russell102 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/p>\n The team focused on three types of eating linked to weight gain:<\/p>\n Across the board, most participants lost weight and body fat and saw improvements in cholesterol. Blood glucose levels improved too, though less dramatically. When researchers dug deeper into the data, they found key differences in who benefited most from the drugs. By three months, many participants reported eating less in response to both emotional triggers and external cues. However, by the end of the year, emotional eating had returned to earlier levels, while external eating kept steadily declining. Emotional eaters may not respond as well to GLP-1s without outside supports, the study suggests. AntonioDiaz \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/p>\n In the end, external eaters \u2014 those influenced by sights and smells \u2014 lost the most weight and saw better blood glucose improvements compared to those who struggled with emotional or overly restricted eating. \u201cOne possible explanation is that emotional eating is more strongly influenced by psychological factors, which may not be directly addressed by GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy,\u201d Dr Takehiro Kato of Gifu University, second author of the article, said in a statement.<\/p>\n GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy work by mimicking a natural hormone that controls blood sugar, slows digestion, boosts feelings of fullness and dampens the brain\u2019s response to food cues \u2014 all helping to curb appetite. But the study suggests these mechanisms don\u2019t work as well for people whose overeating is tied to anxiety, depression or emotional distress. \u201cGLP-1 receptor agonists are effective for individuals who experience weight gain or elevated blood glucose levels due to overeating triggered by external stimuli,\u201d Yabe said. \u201cHowever, their effectiveness is less expected in cases where emotional eating is the primary cause.\u201d<\/p>\n The study provides valuable insights into how different eating behaviors can influence the effectiveness of GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic. While these drugs can be highly effective for some, individuals with emotional eating habits may require additional support to achieve significant weight loss. Understanding these dynamics can help healthcare providers tailor treatment plans to better meet the needs of their patients.<\/p>\n Introduction to Weight Loss with Ozempic What\u2019s feeding your hunger? New research suggests that your motivation for eating that second slice of pizza could influence how well you respond to blockbuster GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy. The study sheds new light on why some people lose up to 20% of their body weight on these […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23016","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health-wellness"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/09\/plus-size-sport-woman-feel-111785624.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024&w=1024&resize=1024,682&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23016"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23016"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23016\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23019,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23016\/revisions\/23019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23016"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23016"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23016"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThat\u2019s no small matter: nearly three-quarters of US adults are considered overweight or obese, putting them at higher risk for a host of chronic health problems. In recent years, roughly 12% of Americans have turned to GLP-1s for weight loss \u2014 and their popularity shows no signs of slowing. \u201cPre-treatment assessment of eating behavior patterns may help predict who will benefit most,\u201d Professor Daisuke Yabe of Kyoto University, the study\u2019s senior author, said in a statement.<\/p>\nMethodology<\/h3>\n
Types of Eating Linked to Weight Gain<\/h3>\n
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Results and Analysis<\/h2>\n
Key Differences in Weight Loss<\/h3>\n
How GLP-1s Work<\/h2>\n
Conclusion<\/h2>\n
FAQs<\/h2>\n
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