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Weight loss leads to strong increase in appetite

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.

Support for the study comes from the intramural research program of the NIDDK. Study lead and NIDDK Senior Investigator Kevin Hall, Ph.D. is available to comment.




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2 thoughts on “Weight loss leads to strong increase in appetite”

  1. In July of 2015, it was discovered that I had type 2 diabetes. By the end of the month, I was given a prescription for Metformin. I stated the ADA diet and followed it completely for several weeks but was unable to get my blood sugar below 140. With no results to how for my hard work, I panicked and called my doctor. His response? Deal with it. I began to feel that something wasn’t right and do my own research. Then I found Rachel’s blog http://curediabetespro.gq/ . I read it from cover to cover and I started the diet and by the next morning, my blood sugar was 100. Since then, I have a fasting reading between the mid 70s and 80s. My doctor was so surprised at the results that, the next week, he took me off the Metformin. I lost 30 pounds in the first month and lost more than 6 inches off my waist and I’m able to work out twice a day while still having lots of energy. The truth is we can get off the drugs and help myself by trying natural methods.

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