<div><div><div id="ArticleContent"><p>A drug hailed the King Kong of weight-loss jabs has been found to help slimmers lose almost a fifth of their weight.</p><p>Tirzepatide was recommended last month by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for people with type 2 diabetes who cannot tolerate the drug metformin.</p><p>But the once-weekly injection, which suppresses the appetite, is also seen as a major tool in the fight against obesity – leading US expert Dr Julio Rosenstock to dub the drug “King Kongâ€ compared to the “gorillaâ€ of semaglutide, another weight-loss medication.</p><p>Now a study shows tirzepatide could greatly help slimmers stay trim.</p><p>The jab was given to 287 people who had successfully lost at least five per cent of their weight through diet and exercise – who would typically put a third of the weight back on, according to the study.</p><p>But when taking tirzepatide for a year, the slimmers lost a further 18.4 per cent of their body weight on average.</p><p>Professor Thomas Wadden, who led the study from the University of Pennsylvania, said: “Slimmers often hit a wall, where they cannot get beyond losing five to 10 per cent of their weight – but this drug could help them achieve substantially more.</p><p>“We also found that the drug helped to reduce blood pressure and cholesterol level, and control blood sugar.â€</p><p>The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, and presented at ObesityWeek 2023, the annual meeting of The Obesity Society, first put 806 people on a three-month slimming program.</p><p>Of the 806, 579 people lost at least five per cent of their weight and were eligible to begin weekly jabs.</p><figure><picture><source data-ratio="5899:2773" media="(min-width: 0px)" sizes="(max-width: 767px) 100vw,(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1020px) 100vw,668px" srcset="https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=100&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 100w,https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=150&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 150w,https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=250&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 250w,https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=320&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 320w,https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=414&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 414w,https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=500&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 500w,https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=640&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 640w,https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=828&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 828w,https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=1024&amp;impolicy=pn_v3 1024w"></source><img alt="The jab is seen as a major tool in the fight against obesity." src="https://images.perthnow.com.au/publication/C-12230898/a12d47e48186c9a8ff38be5047989ccf468db216.jpg?imwidth=668&amp;impolicy=pn_v3"></img></picture><figcaption><svg fill="#000" viewbox="0 0 17 14" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><title>Camera Icon</title><path d="M10.27 11.623c-2.02 0-3.666-1.644-3.666-3.666 0-2.022 1.645-3.667 3.667-3.667s3.668 1.645 3.668 3.667-1.646 3.666-3.667 3.666zM2.834 4.56c.7 0 1.27.572 1.27 1.272 0 .7-.57 1.27-1.27 1.27-.7 0-1.27-.57-1.27-1.27 0-.7.57-1.27 1.27-1.27zM15.19 3h-1.16c-.366-.735-.82-2.125-1.988-2.125H8.5c-.856 0-1.2.656-2.302 2.125H4.25v-.354c0-.566-.515-1.062-1.102-1.062h-.67c-.554 0-1.042.496-1.042 1.052l-.01.384C.26 3.145 0 3.916 0 4.573v7.358c0 1.077.66 1.693 1.81 1.693h13.38c1.15 0 1.81-.616 1.81-1.692V4.574c0-.718-.314-1.575-1.81-1.575"></path></svg><span><span>The jab is seen as a major tool in the fight against obesity.</span><span> Credit: Dmytro Flisak<span>/</span>Dmytro Flisak - stock.adobe.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Researchers then compared those given tirzepatide to those given a dummy injection.</p><p>Those on tirzepatide lost almost an additional fifth of their body weight on average, while those not given the drug gained 2.5 per cent.</p><p>The people on tirzepatide lost almost 15cm (6in) from their waistline, according to the study, which included researchers from pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, which manufactures tirzepatide and funded the trial.</p><p>These were the results after a year on the full dose of tripeptide, after four months of gradually introducing the dose to try to reduce the side effects of nausea, diarrhoea and constipation.</p><p>In total, after slimming down by changing their lifestyle, then using the jab, people lost an average of 24.3 per cent of their starting body weight on average.</p><p>But critics say those using weightloss jabs risk side effects and may need to take them for life.</p></div></div></div>