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In a groundbreaking study, researchers have discovered that combining supervised exercise with obesity pharmacotherapy shows superior potential for maintaining weight loss and enhancing body composition compared to pharmacotherapy alone.
Research Methodology: The study, known as the S-LiTE study, involved a 1-year post-treatment analysis of 109 adults with obesity who had completed an 8-week low-calorie diet resulting in a minimum of 5% weight loss. Participants were then randomly assigned to either receive liraglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist, or placebo alone, or liraglutide or placebo alongside supervised exercise for a 52-week weight loss maintenance intervention. The primary outcome measured was the change in body weight from randomization to 1 year after the termination of the weight maintenance intervention, with the secondary outcome being the change in body-fat percentage over the same period. Key Findings: Supervised exercise combined with liraglutide led to a significantly lower weight gain of 5.1 kg and a greater decrease in body-fat percentage of 2.3% compared to liraglutide alone over the course of 104 weeks. Following the termination of treatment, participants in the liraglutide group regained 6 kg more weight compared to those in the supervised exercise plus placebo group and 2.5 kg more than those in the supervised exercise plus liraglutide group. After 1 year of treatment termination, the supervised exercise plus liraglutide group had substantially higher odds of maintaining a weight loss of ≥ 10% of initial body weight compared to both the liraglutide and placebo groups. Implications: The combination of exercise and liraglutide not only improved physical functioning but also energy and fatigue scores, suggesting a holistic benefit. The study highlights the potential of integrating lifestyle-based treatments, such as supervised exercise, with pharmacotherapy to optimize weight management outcomes, with an emphasis on sustaining healthy physical activity habits post-treatment. Study Details and Disclosure: The study, led by Simon Birk Kjær Jensen from the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Copenhagen, was published online in eClinicalMedicine. Funding for the research was provided by the Novo Nordisk Foundation and Helsefonden. Some authors disclosed participation in advisory boards and receipt of research grants and lecture fees from various sources, including Novo Nordisk. Limitations: The study acknowledged limitations, including the lower participation rate from the placebo group in the post-treatment analysis and potential selection bias favoring participants with better treatment responses during the active phase.
