Effects of liraglutide on appetite, food preoccupation, and food liking: results of a randomized controlled trial
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Background Some weight loss medications, including liraglutide 3.0 mg, are thought to facilitate weight loss by improving appetite control. However, no studies have evaluated their long-term appetitive effects.Subjects/methods This study examined changes in appetite in a subsample of 113 adults with obesity (76.1% female, 55.8% white, BMI = 38.8 ± 4.8 kg/m 2) who participated in a 52-week trial. Participants were randomized to intensive behavioral therapy alone (IBT-alone), IBT with liraglutide 3.0 mg/day (IBT-liraglutide), or IBT-liraglutide combined with a 12-week meal replacement diet (Multi-component). Participants rated their hunger, fullness after meals, liking of meals, and food preoccupation (all as experienced over the past week) using visual analogue scales (0-100 mm). Ratings were completed at baseline and eight subsequent visits over the year.Results At week 52, participants treated by IBT-alone lost 6.2 ± 1.6% of baseline weight, compared with 11.8 ± 1.6% and 12.1 ± 1.5% in the IBT-liraglutide and Multi-component groups, respectively. Compared to IBT-alone, IBT-liraglutide participants reported larger reductions at week 6 in hunger (-0.3 ± 4.2 vs -16.8 ± 4.0 mm, p = .005) and food preoccupation (+0.2 ± 3.7 vs -16.3 ± 3.6 mm, p = .002) and larger increases in fullness (-5.1 ± 3.2 vs +9.8 ± 3.0 mm, p = .001). These significant differences persisted at all assessments through week 24. There were no differences between IBT-alone and IBT-liraglutide in meal liking. IBT-alone and Multi-component participants differed in hunger at week 6, and in food preoccupation at all assessments through week 24. Multi-component participants reported reduced liking of meals relative to the IBT-alone and IBT-liraglutide groups through weeks 40 and 52, respectively. There were no other differences among any groups at week 52.Conclusions Consistent with short-term studies, IBT-liraglutide participants reported greater improvements in hunger, fullness, and food preoccupation than those assigned to IBT-alone. Differences in appetite persisted for 24 weeks but were not maintained at week 52, despite the relatively greater weight losses in the liraglutide-treated participants at the trial's end.
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Multiple studies demonstrate beneficial effects of GLP-1s on food cravings and disordered eating, including reduced food preoccupation, reduced emotional eating, less external eating, and fewer binge eating episodes.
“Multiple studies demonstrate beneficial effects on food cravings and disordered eating. This includes reduced food preoccupation or “food noise”, reduced emotional eating, less external eating (i.e., eating that responds to external triggers, irrespective of satiety), and fewer binge eating episodes [56, 149].”
From Nutritional priorities to support <scp>GLP</scp> ‐1 therapy for obesity: A joint Advisory from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the Obesity Medicine Association, and The Obesity Society (2025) · cites this paper as [149]
The Results (Changes in Appetite; page unavailable) report greater reductions in food preoccupation with liraglutide through week 24. They report no significant between-group reduction in cravings at most time points. The paper does not report effects on emotional eating, external eating, or binge-eating episodes, so this source supports only part of the cited sentence. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredOne study lasting for one year showed that liraglutide 3.0 mg, as an adjunct to intensive behavioral therapy, decreased perception of hunger and increased sensation of fullness during the first 24 weeks, but not after one year, despite a greater weight loss achieved with liraglutide.
“One study lasting for one year showed that the GLP-1RA, liraglutide 3.0 mg, as an adjunct to intensive behavioral therapy, decreased perception of hunger and increased sensation of fullness during the first 24 weeks, but not after one year, despite a greater weight loss achieved with liraglutide21.”
Multiple studies demonstrate beneficial effects of GLP-1s on food cravings and disordered eating, including reduced food preoccupation or "food noise", reduced emotional eating, less external eating, and fewer binge eating episodes.
“Multiple studies demonstrate beneficial effects on food cravings and disordered eating. This includes reduced food preoccupation or “food noise”, reduced emotional eating, less external eating (i.e., eating that responds to external triggers, irrespective of satiety), and fewer binge eating episodes [52,140].”
Multiple studies demonstrate beneficial effects of GLP-1s on food cravings and disordered eating, including reduced food preoccupation or "food noise", reduced emotional eating, less external eating, and fewer binge eating episodes.
“Multiple studies demonstrate beneficial effects on food cravings and disordered eating. This includes reduced food preoccupation or “food noise”, reduced emotional eating, less external eating (i.e., eating that responds to external triggers, irrespective of satiety), and fewer binge eating episodes [56,149].”
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- Authors
- Tronieri, J. S., Wadden, T. A., Walsh, O., Berkowitz, R. I., Alamuddin, N., Gruber, K., Leonard, S., Bakizada, Z. M., & Chao, A. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Pennsylvania (US)
- Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tronieri, Jena Shaw
- ORCID
- Venue
- International Journal of Obesity
- Published
- 2019-03-29
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 353-361
- ISSN
- 0307-0565 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-5497
- PMC
- PMC6766432
- OpenAlex
- W2930726812
- Cited by
- 74
- References
- 29
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 20 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 2
- FWCI
- 3.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- International Journal of Obesity (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Eisai
- Novo Nordisk
- Shire
- National Institute of Nursing Research (K23NR017209)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (K23DK116935)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Pharmacology and Obesity Treatment
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Regulation of Appetite and Obesity
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Keywords
- liraglutide, appetite, hunger, food preoccupation, food liking, satiety, weight loss, GLP-1 receptor agonists, obesity treatment, weight maintenance, satiety hormones, ghrelin, leptin, adiponectin, adipokines, leptin resistance
- MeSH terms
- Liraglutide, Adult, Aged, Appetite, Behavior Therapy, Feeding Behavior, Female, Humans, Hunger, Hypoglycemic Agents, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity, Young Adult, Craving
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