Emotional eaters may be less likely to benefit from weight loss jabs, a study suggests. Japanese researchers say the success of GLP-1 therapies like Wegovy and Mounjaro may depend on people’s reasons for overeating. Their study of 92 people with diabetes over their first year of taking the drugs found those who ate in response to the sight or smell of appetising food were most likely to respond well.
Meanwhile, those who overate for emotional reasons were less likely to lose a significant amount of weight. Study leader Prof Daisuke Yabe, of Kyoto University, said: “Pre-treatment assessment of eating behaviour patterns may help predict who will benefit most from GLP-1 receptor agonist therapy.
“GLP-1 receptor agonists are effective for individuals who experience weight gain or elevated blood glucose levels due to overeating triggered by external stimuli.
“However, their effectiveness is less expected in cases where emotional eating is the primary cause.” Emotional eating occurs when people eat in response to negative emotions, rather than hunger.
The researchers also looked at habits of external eating, where people eat because food looks good rather than due to hunger, and restrained eating, where people control their diet to lower their weight.
Three months after they started taking the drugs, participants reported more behaviours associated with restrained eating and fewer associated with external or emotional eating.
However, by one year after starting treatment, restrained and emotional eating behaviours had returned to normal. The drugs mimic the action of natural hormones that regulate blood sugar and appetite.
Study co-author Dr Takehiro Kato, of Gifu University, said: “One 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.
“Individuals with prominent emotional eating tendencies may require additional behavioural or psychological support.”
Prof Yabe added: “While our study suggests a potential association between external eating behaviour and treatment response to GLP-1 receptor agonists, these findings remain preliminary.
“Further evidence is necessary before they can be implemented in clinical practice. Should future large-scale or randomised controlled trials validate this relationship, incorporating simple behavioural assessments could become a valuable component in optimising treatment strategies.”
The findings were published in the journal Frontiers in Clinical Diabetes and Healthcare.