Why weight loss drugs don't work the same for everyone: The frontier of emotional eating

"A group of scientists monitored 92 people with diabetes in Japan during their first year of treatment with weight-loss drugs and discovered that the patient's psychology can affect the success of these therapies. People who overate at the sight or smell of tasty food were more likely to respond well to the drugs over the long term, while those who overate for emotional reasons were less likely to do so."

"The study has limitations, notes Cristobal Morales, an endocrinologist at Vithas Hospital in Seville who is not involved in this new research. It's small and not a clinical trial, as it relies on patient data. But what it says makes sense and supports numerous similar studies. One factor worth highlighting is that it stems from the idea of obesity in the plural. A group of researchers led by Andres J. Acosta, a"

Ninety-two people with diabetes in Japan were monitored during their first year of treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists. Overall body weight decreased significantly over the year. Patients who overate in response to sensory cues (sight or smell of tasty food) tended to experience stronger long-term weight-loss responses. Patients who overate for emotional reasons showed smaller long-term benefits and emotional eating returned to baseline by 12 months despite initial reductions at three months. Emotional eating may be driven by psychological factors not targeted by GLP-1 receptor agonists. Small sample size and observational design limit generalizability. Assessing eating behavior patterns could help personalize therapy.

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