Weight management
This is research information, not medical advice. This page describes what researchers have studied. It does not recommend any use, and a researched outcome is not an established benefit.
What does the research say about peptides studied for weight management?
Outcomes researchers measured
- Change in body weight
In STEP 1 (1,961 adults with overweight or obesity, no diabetes), semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly produced mean weight loss of 14.9% vs 2.4% for placebo at 68 weeks, with both groups receiving lifestyle intervention. STEP 5 found 15.2% vs 2.6% at 104 weeks; an oral 50 mg daily formulation (OASIS 1) reached 15.1% vs 2.4% at 68 weeks.
- Weight maintenance after stopping
In a STEP 1 extension (327 participants), about two-thirds of lost weight was regained within one year of stopping semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly (and stopping the lifestyle program). An exploratory analysis, directionally clear but not a precise prediction for any individual.
- Cardiovascular outcomes in obesity without diabetes
In SELECT (17,604 adults aged 45+ with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease, no diabetes), major cardiovascular events occurred in 6.5% with semaglutide 2.4 mg weekly vs 8.0% with placebo over a mean 39.8 months. A prespecified analysis found the benefit largely independent of the amount of weight lost.
- Blood sugar (HbA1c) in type 2 diabetes
In PIONEER 1 (703 adults), oral semaglutide 14 mg daily lowered HbA1c by up to 1.1 percentage points more than placebo at 26 weeks; the SUSTAIN program found consistent reductions with the injectable 0.5–2.0 mg weekly doses.
Compounds studied for this topic
A note on this topic
Draft hub: the underlying semaglutide profile is in scientific review, and the evidence rubric is not yet approved, so no certainty labels are shown. Semaglutide is a prescription medicine; approvals apply to specific products, formulations, indications, routes, and countries, never to a compound in general.