2022emaApproval — Tirzepatide· Type 2 diabetes mellitus Mounjaro is indicated for the treatment of adults with insufficiently controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus as an adjunct to diet and exercise as monotherapy when metformin is considered inappropriate due to intolerance or contraindications in addition to other medicinal products for the treatment of diabetes. For study results with respect to combinations, effects on glycaemic control and the populations studied, see sections 4.4, 4.5 and 5.1. Weight management Mounjaro is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight management, including weight loss and weight maintenance, in adults with an initial Body Mass Index (BMI) of ≥ 30 kg/m2 (obesity) or ≥ 27 kg/m2 to < 30 kg/m2 (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition (e.g., hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea, cardiovascular disease, prediabetes, or type 2 diabetes mellitus). source ↗

2022emaApproval — Semaglutide· Adults Wegovy is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight management, including weight loss and weight maintenance, in adults with an initial Body Mass Index (BMI) of ≥30 kg/m2 (obesity), or ≥27 kg/m2 to <30 kg/m2 (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbidity e.g. dysglycaemia (prediabetes or type 2 diabetes mellitus), hypertension, dyslipidaemia, obstructive sleep apnoea or cardiovascular disease. For trial results with respect to cardiovascular risk reduction and populations studied, see section 5.1. Adolescents (≥12 years) Wegovy is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for weight management in adolescents ages 12 years and above with obesity* and body weight above 60 kg. Treatment with Wegovy should be discontinued and re-evaluated if adolescent patients have not reduced their BMI by at least 5% after 12 weeks on the 2.4 mg or maximum tolerated dose. *Obesity (BMI ≥95th percentile) as defined on sex- and age-specific BMI growth charts (CDC.gov) (see Table 1 in 4.1 of SmPC). Table 1 BMI cut-off points for obesity (≥95th percentile) by sex and age for paediatric patients aged 12 and older (CDC criteria) source ↗

2007emaApproval — Orlistat· Alli is indicated for weight loss in adults who are overweight (body mass index, BMI, 28 kg/m2) and should be taken in conjunction with a mildly hypocaloric, lower-fat diet. source ↗

European Medicines Agency (CC BY 4.0). Events are matched to this condition by drug indication text — approvals/updates for drugs indicated for it, not disease-specific acts.

Research activity

90 papers

Key research shaping understanding of this disease, combining the latest publications with the most influential evidence.

Publications over time

20112025

Most influential

Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity.

The New England journal of medicine · 2021 · 3,192 cites

Obesity and cardiovascular disease: pathophysiology, evaluation, and effect of weight loss: an update of the 1997 American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Obesity and Heart Disease from the Obesity Committee of the Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism.

Circulation · 2006 · 1,863 cites

ESC/EAS Guidelines for the management of dyslipidaemias: the Task Force for the management of dyslipidaemias of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS).

European heart journal · 2011 · 1,801 cites

Management of Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes, 2018. A Consensus Report by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Diabetes care · 2018 · 1,743 cites

Adipose tissue, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease.

Circulation research · 2005 · 1,463 cites

Plasma ghrelin levels after diet-induced weight loss or gastric bypass surgery.

The New England journal of medicine · 2002 · 1,427 cites

Recent publications

Strategies for minimizing muscle loss during use of incretin-mimetic drugs for treatment of obesity.

Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025 · 79 cites

Real-world evidence on the utilization, clinical and comparative effectiveness, and adverse effects of newer GLP-1RA-based weight-loss therapies.

Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2025 · 57 cites

Obesity and cardiovascular disease: an ESC clinical consensus statement.

European journal of preventive cardiology · 2025 · 55 cites

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2025 · 44 cites

Post metabolic bariatric surgery weight regain: the importance of GLP-1 levels.

International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025 · 40 cites

Specific loss of GIPR signaling in GABAergic neurons enhances GLP-1R agonist-induced body weight loss.

Molecular metabolism · 2025 · 20 cites

Major themes8

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 226
Obesity24
Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonists22
Weight Loss19
Anti-Obesity Agents13
Glucagon-Like Peptide 110
Incretins9
Cardiovascular Diseases7

Leading journals6

Diabetes, obesity & metabolism8
Molecular metabolism6
The New England journal of medicine4
Diabetes care3
International journal of obesity (2005)3
JAMA3

Leading researchers8

Wadden TA5
Holst JJ4
Drucker DJ3
Li Y3
Müller TD3
Nauck MA3
Batterham RL2
Blouet C2

Affiliations (unnormalised)6

University of Copenhagen5
Harvard Medical School3
Institute for Diabetes and Obesity3
Massachusetts General Hospital3
Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research3
Perelman School of Medicine3

Related conditions

12 matches

Diseases frequently studied alongside this one. Number shows shared papers.

Obesity64 Diabetes Mellitus, Type 238 Cardiovascular Diseases13 Overweight10 Body Weight9 Insulin Resistance4 Cholelithiasis2 Heart Failure2 Hyperglycemia2 Inflammation2 Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease2 Obesity, Morbid2

Showing the 12 strongest of 15 by shared papers — weaker co-mentions are not shown.

Disease profile

A grounded synthesis of the condition — overview, causes, mechanism, risk factors and current standard of care.

Overview

Weight loss is a decrease in existing body weight. In the supplied literature, it is discussed mainly as a therapeutic goal in obesity and type 2 diabetes, where reducing weight is used to lower health risks and improve metabolic outcomes.

Pathophysiology

The grounding links weight loss to changes in energy balance, appetite, body composition, and energy metabolism. It also connects weight loss to incretin biology, including GLP-1 and GIP signaling, which influences insulin secretion and glucagon regulation and is relevant to drug effects on body weight.

Risk factors

The supplied material does not support risk factors for weight loss as a standalone condition. It instead describes factors associated with obesity and cardiovascular risk, such as lack of physical activity, dietary habits, elevated blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemias, age, and male gender.

Current standard of care

Weight loss is generally approached with lifestyle management, medication, and surgical interventions when used therapeutically in obesity. The literature specifically mentions GLP-1 receptor agonists and related incretin-based therapies, including liraglutide, semaglutide, exenatide, and tirzepatide, as drug classes associated with weight-loss effects.

AI-generated summary grounded in MeSH and 6 peer-reviewed sources. Informational only — not medical advice. Generated 2026-07-07.

Reference

Authoritative identity, definition & identifiers.

Defined in MeSH

Decrease in existing BODY WEIGHT.

Identifiers

MeSHWeight Loss

References & data sources

Disease identity & definition — NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), public domain
Clinical trials — ClinicalTrials.gov (U.S. National Library of Medicine)
Research activity — Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI) + OpenAlex-derived paper links
Related entities are derived from literature co-mention (studied together) — associative, not causal.