Diseases & conditions

Study: Genes May Affect Weight Loss Drug Results

Is genetics the key to unlocking personalized weight loss treatment or is the science still too early to matter?

Published APR 11

Study: Genes May Affect Weight Loss Drug Results

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The Facts

A study published in Nature on Wednesday analyzed self-reported genetic and health data from 27,885 people who had taken GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, to investigate why weight loss outcomes vary between patients.
Nature
News Medical
The Standard
Researchers identified a missense variant in the GLP1R gene, rs10305420 T allele, associated with greater weight loss — carriers of one copy lost an average of 0.76 kg more, while those with two copies lost roughly 1.52 kg more than those without the variant.
The Pharmacist
The Telegraph
According to the study, about 40% of people with European ancestry and 38% of those with Middle Eastern ancestry carry the rs10305420 T allele, compared to roughly 7% of those with African ancestry.
Nature
Scientific American
A second variant, rs1800437, found in the GIPR gene, was linked to increased nausea and vomiting specifically in people taking tirzepatide. Those carrying two copies of both variants were estimated to be 15 times more likely to experience vomiting than those without either variant.
EuroNews
guardian
The Standard
The study's authors acknowledged that non-genetic factors — including sex, age, drug type, dose and treatment duration — collectively explained 21.4% of the variance in weight loss, stating genetics added a modest incremental contribution.
Independent
News Medical
A recent study estimates that about 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used GLP-1 drugs for weight loss between early 2024 and early 2025. It also found that around 4.9 million adults — nearly one in 10 — either recently used a weight loss drug or are interested in using one soon.
The Pharmacist
SpringerLink

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

Genetics finally explains why Ozempic works wonders for some and barely budges the scale for others. This massive genome-wide study of nearly 28,000 people pinpointed a missense variant in GLP1R that boosts weight loss and identified variants tied to nausea — proof that DNA shapes drug response in biologically meaningful ways. Precision medicine for obesity isn't a distant dream; it's the next logical step.

Adam Auton on X

Nature

Narrative B

Exciting genetics headlines shouldn't obscure a modest reality — the GLP1R variant linked to extra weight loss amounts to roughly 1.5 pounds against a median 25-pound total loss, explaining just 3.6% of additional variance. Drug choice, dose, sex and duration matter far more than any gene variant identified so far. Precision medicine for GLP-1s is genuinely coming, but today's genetic data simply isn't ready to guide real clinical decisions.