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• Recent investigation suggests that weight loss drugs may not be as beneficial for people with emotional consumption tendencies.
• These medications function by reducing hunger, so they may not tackle overeating driven by boredom.
• Medical experts must examine a person's connection with food before prescribing slimming medication or procedures.

Weight loss treatments are not as beneficial for individuals whose eating habits are tied to feelings such as depression.

This insight stems from new study shared on a recent date in a medical journal.

Researchers observed that semaglutide-based medications like Ozempic proved more effective for weight loss in people who overeat due to environmental triggers like the sight or smell of food, compared to those who eat due to psychological reasons.

These results indicate that medical professionals must evaluate a patient's eating pattern before recommending weight loss medications.

"GLP-1 agonist medications are beneficial for people who experience weight gain or elevated blood glucose readings due to excessive consumption stimulated by outside factors. However, their effectiveness is less in cases where emotional eating is the primary reason," stated a senior author involved in the study.

Experts not participating in the research agree that psychological issues must be addressed prior to recommending slimming drugs or bariatric surgery.

"This is not just about overeating. We must to address root problems beforehand," remarked a bariatric specialist.

"Each person is unique," added another expert. "We must to learn who a patient is and what their motivation is for excessive eating."

A nutritionist participating in weight management stated: "This was a small research but provided an valuable insight pertaining to psychological consumption and success in weight loss."

Emotional Eating and Excess Weight

For their study, scientists tracked 92 people with adult-onset diabetes who were starting therapy with GLP-1 drugs.

They tracked the subjects’ progress at the beginning, three months into treatment, and one year after treatment started.

Data was gathered on weight, fat percentage, diet, and blood markers such as glucose and lipid readings.

These researchers honed in on 3 types of dietary behaviors:

• Psychological eating, where individuals consume in reaction to negative emotions.
• External consumption, where people consume because of the look or aroma of food.
• Restrained consumption, where people limit their food intake to lose weight.

The researchers found that subjects overall experienced reductions in weight, lipid levels, and adipose percentages during the 12-month therapy. Sugar readings also improved, but the changes were not considered significantly meaningful.

But, the outcomes were much pronounced for individuals with environmental eating habits than those with emotional or restrained dietary behaviors.

The researchers added that people with environmental eating patterns had long-term changes in their behaviors, while those with emotional or restrained eating patterns had reverted to their original behaviors after one year.

An expert commented that eating patterns are complex. Individuals can overeat due to stress.

"Consumption is a multifaceted activity," she stated. "People eat too much for many factors."

Another specialist noted that it can be challenging for a doctor to identify psychological issues, so individuals with possible dietary issues ought to be assessed by a mental health professional before any therapy is suggested.

He explained that GLP-1 drugs function by suppressing hunger impulses, but if a individual is eating excessively for psychological reasons, then drugs and procedures might not the best option.

"Reducing appetite may in the end not be very effective for some people," the expert stated.

Another professional stated: "Healthcare providers need to help patients recognize the challenges. We need to help individuals more effectively comprehend the triggers."

Coping with Psychological Eating

A dietitian stated that she approaches dietary patterns variously based on a person's particular concern.

Regarding psychological consumption, the emphasis is on a individual's connection with eating.

"Eating can alter the way we feel, making us become calm or soothed, but a lot of the foods chosen when eating psychologically are not considered healthy options, so the effect is short term succeeded by a crash and a desire to eat more food to feel calm once more," the specialist explained. "

"It can be a difficult pattern because the item does not truly heal and only provides a support that might lead to other negative outcomes due to a poor nutrient-dense, rich in ultra-processed dietary habit."

For environmental consumption patterns, it is more centered on the triggers to which a individual responds.

"I have patients who will drive in their vehicle to pick up emotional consumption items (imagine junk food, pizza, ice cream) so the cue is not necessarily in the house, but they are thinking about it," the expert stated. "

"For others, it might be that they see, detect, or are around a food and that is sufficient it takes to eat it in large amounts. This is why dealing with the underlying reasons of emotional eating is so crucial."

For controlled dietary habits, it is more about how food is viewed.

"An aspect of a mindful, instinctive consumption approach often means permitting foods into the eating plan occasionally versus declaring ‘I can not have that item’ and then binging on it and feeling remorseful afterward," the specialist explained.

"Many prefer to look at food as not {good|