Analysis of a trial that used the drug canagliflozin
found that as people lost weight, their appetite
increased proportionately, leading to consumption of
more calories and weight loss plateau (leveling
off).

The findings provide the first measurement in people
of how strongly appetite counters weight loss as
part of the body’s feedback control system
regulating weight. Results are currently available
on BioRxiv (link is external) and will publish in
Obesity during Obesity Week 2016.
A team led by the NIH’s National Institute of
Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
analyzed data from a year-long, placebo-controlled,
double-blind trial in people with type 2 diabetes
who could eat and drink without restriction by the
study.
Of the 242 participants, 153 received canagliflozin,
a drug that caused a substantial increase in the
amount of glucose excreted in their urine. Those
people were not directly aware of that calorie loss,
which caused a gradual decrease in weight averaging
about eight pounds.
The team used a validated math model to calculate
the changes in the amount of calories consumed
during the study.
They found no long-term calorie intake changes in
the 89 people who got a placebo.
However, for every pound of lost weight, the people
treated with canagliflozin consumed about 50
calories per day more than they were eating before
the study. This increase in appetite and calorie
intake led to slowing of weight loss after about six
months.
The measurements are consistent with the
researchers’ analysis of data from a separate trial
on a commercial weight loss program not involving
canagliflozin.
In the weight loss program trial, despite the
dieters’ consistent efforts to reduce calorie
intake, their increased appetite resulted in a
progressive increase in calorie intake — three times
stronger than the changes in caloric expenditure
that typically accompany weight loss — and weight
loss plateau. Findings from the analyses suggest
that persistent effort is required to avoid weight
regain.
For more information
U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive
and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Link...
U.S. National Institutes of Health
Link...
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