Regaining weight after diet medication linked to 4-fold rise in suicidal thoughts: study
People who have taken weight-loss medication and regained weight afterward were more than four times as likely to have suicidal thoughts, highlighting mental health concerns tied to the medications. According to a study by a research team at Asan Medical Center on Sunday, people who took weight-loss medication were 1.9 times more likely to experience depression and 2.7 times as likely to have…
A recent study has revealed a significant link between regaining weight after using weight-loss medication and an increased risk of suicidal thoughts. Researchers at Asan Medical Center conducted an analysis of data from 27,741 adults, with 10,908 men and 16,833 women, sourced from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013 and 2022. The study focused on 846 individuals who had taken doctor-prescribed weight-loss medication within the past year, compared to the remaining 26,895 non-users.
The findings indicate that medication users were not only four times more likely to experience suicidal thoughts but also 1.9 times more prone to depression and 2.7 times more likely to develop suicidal thoughts than those who had not taken the medication. The research team divided the participants into two groups: 846 individuals who had used weight-loss medication and 26,895 who had not.
Among medication users, 22.1% experienced depressive feelings for two or more consecutive weeks, whereas only 11.4% of non-users reported similar symptoms. Additionally, 8.4% of medication users sought mental health counseling, compared to 3.4% of non-users. This disparity highlights the potential mental health concerns associated with the use of weight-loss medication, emphasizing the need for further examination and support for individuals who have undergone such treatment.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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