Transcranial magnetic stimulation induces weight loss in T2D patients with obesity

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity who undergo repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) show a similar body weight (BW) reduction to those treated with semaglutide, reports a study.

This retrospective comparative study compared the efficacy of a GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP1-RA) (semaglutide, 0.5 mg/week), sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), and rTMS, a new emerging treatment for obesity, in reducing BW after 1 year in patients with obesity and T2D.

Forty patients with T2D treated with SGLT2i, 37 patients treated with GLP1-RA, and 30 patients treated with rTMS were included in this analysis. Administration of rTMS was conducted three times a week for 5 weeks. All participants received dietary advice about moderate caloric restriction (‒300 kcal/day).

At 12 months, weight loss did not significantly differ between patients treated with rTMS and those treated with semaglutide (‒8.2 vs ‒5.7 kg). However, patients who received SGLT2i showed a significantly less weight loss (‒2.0 kg) than those in the semaglutide (p=0.01) and rTMS groups (p<0.0001).

Furthermore, participants treated with SGLT2i regained weight from month 6 to 12, while those treated with rTMS and semaglutide continued to show BW reduction.

“Treatment with rTMS produced a comparable reduction in BW to that observed with … semaglutide and represents a promising intervention for the treatment of obesity and T2D,” the investigators said.