Weight loss with anti-obesity medications comparable for older, younger adults
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Key takeaways:
- Long-term weight loss with anti-obesity medications was similar for older adults vs. younger adults.
- A higher percentage of older adults lost 5% or more of their body weight at 3 to 5 years.
DALLAS — Older adults who received anti-obesity medications lost a similar amount of weight at 3 to 5 years as younger adults, with no increased side effects, according to research presented at ObesityWeek.
About 35% of adults aged 65 years and older have obesity. The aging process may influence the response to anti-obesity medications, making it important to analyze the effects of these agents in older adults, Mohammad I. Bhatti, a medical student at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, said during a presentation.
“Our study focuses on filling in those gaps, especially as the aging population presents a significant demographic to cater weight-management strategies,” Bhatti said. “There are limited data on outcomes in elderly patients from the real world in the long term.”
Bhatti and colleagues conducted a retrospective chart review of 428 patients who received treatment at the Weill Cornell Medicine Comprehensive Weight Control Center from April 2014 to May 2016. Adults with at least 3 to 5 years of follow-up were included. The researchers collected data on demographics, comorbidities, use of anti-obesity medications and number of visits with dietitians and obesity providers. Bhatti and colleagues then analyzed the percentage of total weight loss, categorical weight loss at 3 to 5 years and medication discontinuation due to side effects.
Seventy-five adults were aged 65 years and older and 353 were aged 64 years and younger. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes was higher among older adults (30.7% vs. 12.8%).
Mean weight loss at 3 to 5 years was similar between older adults and younger adults: older adults lost a mean 11.5% of their body weight and younger adults lost 10.1%. At follow-up, a higher percentage of older adults lost 5% or more body weight compared with younger adults (81.3% vs. 68.3%; P = .024). There were no differences in the percentage of adults who lost 10%, 15%, or 20% or more body weight.
The most common anti-obesity medication used in all age groups was metformin. A higher percentage of younger adults used phentermine and topiramate compared with older adults, according to Bhatti.
Side effects related to anti-obesity medication were reported by a similar percentage of older adults and younger adults. Adults who discontinued medication had a higher number of trialed medications during follow-up than those who did not discontinue a medication (5 vs. 3.6; P < .001). Younger adults used a mean maximum number of 3.3 anti-obesity medications concurrently compared with 2.6 concurrent medications for older adults (P < .001).
“In this study, the tolerability of these prescribed medications in the older population was similar to the younger population,” Bhatti said.
Bhatti noted the study had several limitations, including a small sample of older adults, limitations due to the single-center retrospective design, and the potential influence of other confounders such as eating patterns and physical activity were not examined.
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Bhatti MI, et al. Oral-047. Presented at: ObesityWeek; Oct. 14-17, 2023; Dallas.
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