GLP-1 Evidence

Evidence map

Semaglutide weight: what the evidence base looks like

11 publications, 6 of them trials and 4 syntheses. This page describes the shape of that literature rather than summarising its conclusions.

Updated 4 min read 11 citations

What the evidence on semaglutide weight is made of Of 11 publications on this topic, the breakdown by study type: 4 meta-analysis, 6 randomised trial, 1 other. 461meta-analysis (4)randomised trial (6)other (1)
11 publications, by study type. Volume is not strength — the same count can be a settled question or a pile of commentary, and which one it is depends almost entirely on this breakdown. Harvested from PubMed and Crossref; publication type as recorded by the source.

What this literature is made of

This is a well-developed evidence base: multiple syntheses sitting on a substantial body of trials. Questions here are usually about applicability rather than about whether an effect exists.

The distinction that matters most is between synthesis and primary research. A meta-analysis pools trials and is the closest thing to a settled answer a field produces. A narrative review is one group's reading of the same material and can be selective without being dishonest. Counting them together, which most citation counts do, obscures exactly the thing you want to know.

When the semaglutide weight literature was published Publication years for the 11 papers on this topic, grouped into bands from before 2015 through to 2023 onwards. 2023 onwards6 papers2020-20225 papers
Still active. The most recent paper here is from 2025, so this is a field where an answer written today may not hold for long. Publication years as recorded by PubMed and Crossref.

How this page is built

Everything above is computed from the citations this site harvested from PubMed and Crossref, not written by hand. When the weekly harvest finds a new paper on this topic, these counts change and the characterisation changes with them. That is the point: a hand-written claim about how strong an evidence base is starts decaying the day it is written.

Publication type is taken as the source records it. That is imperfect — journals label inconsistently, and a paper indexed as a "review" may be a systematic one — so treat the bands as approximate. They are accurate enough to distinguish a trial literature from a commentary literature, which is the distinction that matters.

The strongest work on this topic

Ordered by study design first, then recency. The full set is listed in the references below.

  1. EASL-EASD-EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) — Unattributed, 2024, clinical guideline
  2. Comparative effectiveness of GLP-1 receptor agonists on glycaemic control, body weight, and lipid profile for type 2 diabetes: systematic review and network meta-analysis — Yao H, Zhang A, Li D et al., 2024, meta-analysis
  3. Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Once-Weekly Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Patients Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials — Moiz A, Levett JY, Filion KB et al., 2024, meta-analysis
  4. Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Obesity Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis — Tan HC, Dampil OA, Marquez MM, 2022, meta-analysis
  5. Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes — Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM et al., 2023, randomised controlled trial
  6. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension — Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Davies M et al., 2022, randomised controlled trial
  7. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity — Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S et al., 2021, randomised controlled trial
  8. Effect of Continued Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo on Weight Loss Maintenance in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: The STEP 4 Randomized Clinical Trial — Rubino D, Abrahamsson N, Davies M et al., 2021, randomised controlled trial
  9. Semaglutide 2·4 mg once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, and type 2 diabetes (STEP 2): a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial00213-0) — Davies M, Færch L, Jeppesen OK et al., 2021, randomised controlled trial
  10. Tirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity — Aronne LJ, Horn DB, le Roux CW et al., 2025, clinical trial
How much research is there on semaglutide weight?
11 publications are indexed here, of which 6 are trials and 4 are syntheses.
Does more research mean a stronger conclusion?
No. Composition matters more than volume — five randomised trials support a claim far better than fifty commentaries, and citation counts do not distinguish between them.
How current is this?
The most recent paper indexed here is from 2025. The set is refreshed weekly from PubMed and Crossref.
Why does this page not tell me the answer?
Because summarising a literature into a conclusion requires reading it, and doing that automatically is how confident nonsense gets published. This page tells you how much weight a conclusion could bear; the articles on this site do the interpreting.

References

Every citation below links to the original peer-reviewed record on PubMed or via DOI. Nothing here is a substitute for medical advice.

  1. Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Once-Weekly Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Patients Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials Moiz A, Levett JY, Filion KB, et al. · The American journal of cardiology · 2024 · Meta-analysis DOIPubMed 38679221
  2. EASL-EASD-EASO Clinical Practice Guidelines on the management of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) Journal of hepatology · 2024 · Clinical guideline DOIPubMed 38851997
  3. Comparative effectiveness of GLP-1 receptor agonists on glycaemic control, body weight, and lipid profile for type 2 diabetes: systematic review and network meta-analysis Yao H, Zhang A, Li D, et al. · BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2024 · Meta-analysis DOIPubMed 38286487Full text
  4. Efficacy and Safety of Semaglutide for Weight Loss in Obesity Without Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Tan HC, Dampil OA, Marquez MM · Journal of the ASEAN Federation of Endocrine Societies · 2022 · Meta-analysis DOIPubMed 36578889Full text
  5. Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes Lincoff AM, Brown-Frandsen K, Colhoun HM, et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 2023 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 37952131
  6. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Davies M, et al. · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2022 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 35441470Full text
  7. Effect of Continued Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo on Weight Loss Maintenance in Adults With Overweight or Obesity: The STEP 4 Randomized Clinical Trial Rubino D, Abrahamsson N, Davies M, et al. · JAMA · 2021 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 33755728Full text
  8. Semaglutide 2·4 mg once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, and type 2 diabetes (STEP 2): a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial Davies M, Færch L, Jeppesen OK, et al. · Lancet (London, England) · 2021 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 33667417
  9. Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Calanna S, et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 2021 · Randomised controlled trial DOIPubMed 33567185
  10. Tirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity Aronne LJ, Horn DB, le Roux CW, et al. · The New England journal of medicine · 2025 · Clinical trial DOIPubMed 40353578
  11. Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide for Weight Loss in Adults With Overweight or Obesity Rodriguez PJ, Goodwin Cartwright BM, Gratzl S, et al. · JAMA internal medicine · 2024 · Journal article DOIPubMed 38976257Full text