Potential contributors to variation in weight-loss response to liraglutide

Obesity treatment requires a chronic state of negative energy balance. Obesity medications can help with this, increasing long-term dietary compliance by promoting satiety or reducing hunger. However, efficacy and safety of obesity medications vary for individuals. Early identification of non-responders to obesity medications may limit drug exposure while optimizing benefits for responders. This review summarizes factors that impact weight-loss response to liraglutide. Factors linked to greater weight loss on liraglutide include being female, not having diabetes, having relatively high baseline weight, and losing at least 4% of initial weight after 16 weeks of treatment. Other covariates that may predict treatment response but require further confirmation include central effects, nausea, gastric emptying of solids, and genotype. Baseline body mass index, race, and age seem less relevant for predicting weight-loss response to liraglutide. Lesser known and harder-to-measure factors such as cerebral blood flow, food cue reactivity, gut hormone levels, and dietary adherence possibly impact variability of response to liraglutide. This information should assist healthcare providers with establishing realistic weight-loss probability for individual patients. Future research should improve the ability to identify responders to liraglutide. Importantly, this review may provide a framework to identify responders to other obesity medications.

Automated summary

Obesity treatment requires negative energy balance. Medications can promote satiety or reduce hunger, but their efficacy and safety vary for individuals. Factors influencing weight-loss response to liraglutide include gender, diabetes status, baseline weight, and initial weight loss. Other factors like central effects, nausea, gastric emptying, and genotype may also impact treatment response. Identifying responders to liraglutide can assist healthcare providers and may provide insights for other obesity medications.