Submaximal semaglutide doses achieve significant weight loss, reducing BMI and waist circumference in real-world obesity patients.

Obesity is a major global health crisis leading to numerous metabolic and mechanical complications. Current standard-of-care often falls short in achieving sustainable weight loss for many patients. Long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) like semaglutide have emerged as highly effective treatments. This study investigates the real-world efficacy of semaglutide, specifically at submaximal doses, to understand its impact on key anthropometric measures in an obese patient population.

This prospective observational study tracked 56 adult patients with obesity (mean age 49±12 years, 42 female, 14 male) receiving semaglutide at submaximal doses. Patients were followed for 3 months, with a subgroup of 30 patients continuing to 6 months. Primary endpoints included changes in body weight, waist circumference, height/waist ratio, and BMI. The study design focused on real-world usage without a specific control arm, observing outcomes in patients already prescribed the medication.

Patients treated with semaglutide achieved a significant mean weight loss of 6.45 ± 0.31% (p < 0.01) after 3 months. In the subgroup of 30 patients who continued treatment for 6 months, weight loss further increased to 11.35 ± 0.47% (p < 0.01).

Waist circumference decreased by 7 cm after 3 months and an additional 6 cm by 6 months (p < 0.01 for both). The mean height/waist ratio improved from 0.71 ± 0.08 to 0.67 ± 0.09 after 3 months (p < 0.01) and further to 0.63 ± 0.09 after 6 months (p < 0.01). Mean BMI also significantly decreased from 40.3 ± 6.7 to 37.5 ± 6.83 kg/m2 (p < 0.01) at 3 months, reaching 35.5 ± 7.73 kg/m2 in the 6-month subgroup (p < 0.01).