Exercise and Liraglutide Combo Effective option for weight loss: NEJM

Combination group: Exercise program plus liraglutide therapy; or

Placebo group: Placebo plus usual activity.

The primary endpoint of the study was weight loss at one year and the secondary endpoint assessed was changes in body mass at one year. Safety of liraglutide, as well as other prespecified metabolic health-related endpoints, were also assessed.

Key findings of the study were:

• One year after randomization, the researchers noted that all the active-treatment strategies led to greater weight loss than placebo (difference, −4.1, −6.8, and −9.5 kg in the exercise, liraglutide, and combination groups, respectively).
• They noted that compared with exercise (difference, −5.4 kg), but not liraglutide (−2.7 kg), the combination strategy led to significantly greater weight loss.
• They also noted that the combination strategy decreased body fat percentage by 3.9 percentage points, which was approximately twice the decrease in the exercise group (−1.7 percentage points) and the liraglutide group (−1.9 percentage points).
• They found that the combination strategy has additional health benefits such as improvements in the glycated hemoglobin level, insulin sensitivity, and cardiorespiratory fitness.
• They further noted that the incidence of increased heart rate and cholelithiasis were observed more often in the liraglutide group than in the combination group.

The authors concluded, "A strategy combining exercise and liraglutide therapy improved healthy weight loss maintenance more than either treatment alone."

For further information:

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2028198