Drugs work best for women trying to lose weight… but diets are better for men, finds study

Diets are more effective in men – but drugs work better in women trying to lose weight, a study revealed today.

Researchers in Australia looked at the difference in weight loss between overweight or obese men and women given appetite-suppressing drugs.

Women lost about a fifth of their body weight, but men taking the same drugs lost just 13 percent, according to the University of Sydney team.

Meanwhile, a review of around a dozen studies of weight loss in people who stuck to a healthier diet and exercise regimen showed that men almost always lost more weight than women.

The researchers said the mechanism behind their findings is unclear — but should be studied further to give people personalized weight-loss treatment.

The team found that the effects of weight-loss interventions – such as diet and medical treatments – are not usually reported separately for men and women.

This is despite physiological and biological differences between the sexes that could interfere with trying to lose fat.

To get to the bottom of the question of whether gender influences the success of weight loss attempts, the team examined data from three studies involving a total of 16,428 people.

The first included 1,961 obese individuals who had at least one health condition related to their size.

The volunteers received either 2.4 mg injections of semaglutide – which hijacks the body’s appetite regulation system to reduce cravings and calorie intake – or a placebo shot for 68 weeks.

The results showed that those taking semaglutide lost an average of 16.9 percent of their body weight, while the placebo group lost just 2.4 percent.

However, broken down by gender, women taking semaglutide lost a third more weight than men — 18.4 percent of their body weight compared to 12.9 percent.

In the second study, 3,723 overweight or obese adults received a 3 mg dose of liraglutide — another weight-loss injection that suppresses appetite — or a placebo for 56 weeks.

The researchers said women had a “greater weight loss.”

The latest study enrolled 10,744 people over the age of 55 who were overweight or obese and had type 2 diabetes or cardiovascular disease. They were given an appetite suppressant pill of sibutramine or a placebo pill.

After a year, those taking the drug lost an average of 4.5 percent of their body weight, compared with 2 percent in the placebo group.

But women taking the drug lost 5.2 percent of their body weight, compared to 4 percent for men.

The researchers said their findings, which will be presented at the International Congress on Obesity in Melbourne this week, conflict with a review of 11 studies that looked at lifestyle interventions — like eating healthier and getting more exercise.

It turned out that men lost more weight than women in 10 of the 11 studies.

However, while men lost more pounds, women still saw “significant” weight loss, meaning a healthier lifestyle should still be recommended for those trying to lose weight, they said.

The authors said: “Gender differences in weight loss interventions involving pharmacological treatment have not been extensively studied.

“Our results suggest that women lose more weight than men during pharmacological weight-loss interventions, although the mechanisms for this are unclear.

“This finding contrasts with most diet plans, where men tend to lose more weight than women when a gender difference is identified.

“Identifying gender-related variables may improve the personalization of anti-obesity drug treatment to achieve optimal weight-loss outcomes for patients.”

The co-author of the study, Dr. Samantha Hocking, an endocrinologist at the university, said women may lose more weight when they take appetite-suppressing drugs because of the drugs’ pharmacokinetics — how they’re absorbed and metabolized by the body.

“Physiological differences between sexes often result in differences in the way drugs are absorbed, handled, distributed and excreted in the body,” she said.

Professor John Wilding, Head of Obesity Clinical Research at the University of Liverpool, who was not involved in the study, said: “One possible explanation for women’s greater response to pharmacological interventions could be that women are (in general) lighter than Men .’

Because both men and women receive the same dose, women may receive a slightly larger dose relative to their body weight and therefore respond more to the drug, he said.

Professor Wilding added: “It’s harder to explain why men do better when they make lifestyle changes.

“However, this could relate to social factors and differences between men and women who choose to participate in research studies.”