Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (869 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
A clinical manifestation consisting of alterations in an individual's weight from his or her norm.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Body Weight Change; Change, Body Weight; Changes, Body Weight; Weight Change, Body; Weight Changes, Body.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Body Weight
- Narrower topics
- Body-Weight Trajectory; Weight Gain; Weight Loss
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 94,563 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Body Weight Changes” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 23,485 of them (24.8%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 35,962 records.
Reviews account for 14,067 records (14.9%) and meta-analyses for 2,329. Randomized controlled trials number 9,833 (10.4%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up a comparatively large share of this literature, which means many treatment questions have been tested directly.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 13,184 |
| 2000-2009 | 21,932 |
| 2010-2019 | 35,962 |
| 2020 onward | 23,485 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 14,067 | 14.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 2,329 | 2.5% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 9,833 | 10.4% |
Method: PubMed query "Body Weight Changes"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in anatomy and physiology
Anatomy describes how body structures are built and physiology describes how they normally work, so most findings here are descriptive or mechanistic rather than evidence about treatment. Much of what is known comes from dissection, imaging, tissue studies and experiments in animals, and measurements in healthy volunteers can differ from those in people with disease or at different ages. Normal ranges vary between individuals and populations. Check whether a result was measured in people or in another species, the age and health of the participants, and the method used.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orforglipron for maintenance of body weight reduction: the double-blind, randomized phase 3b ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial | 2026 | Randomized controlled trial Design not recorded in structured metadata | 16 | cc by PMID 42120723 · DOI · PMC13375559 |
| Apitegromab for lean mass preservation during tirzepatide-induced weight loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial | 2026 | Randomized controlled trial Design not recorded in structured metadata | 9 | cc by PMID 42260100 · DOI · PMC13375528 |
| Phospholipid Glutathione Peroxidase Overexpression Mitigates Cancer Cachexia by Protecting Muscle Mass and Lowering Inflammation | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 6 | cc by PMID 41854231 · DOI · PMC13140832 |
Orforglipron for maintenance of body weight reduction: the double-blind, randomized phase 3b ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Incretins have improved the management of obesity and its related complications, but maintaining these health benefits requires ongoing administration, which can be challenging.
- Closing excerpt
- gov registration: NCT06584916 .
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (259 words)
Incretins have improved the management of obesity and its related complications, but maintaining these health benefits requires ongoing administration, which can be challenging. Orforglipron, a once-daily oral nonpeptide glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, has demonstrated weight loss efficacy, improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, and safety generally similar to injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists. Here this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial randomized participants previously treated with tirzepatide (cohort 1: N = 205) or semaglutide (cohort 2: N = 171) during the SURMOUNT-5 study to orforglipron once daily or placebo. Cohort 1 participants who achieved body weight plateau maintained a model-based estimate (MBE) of 74.7% (s.e.m. 4.05) of body weight reduction with orforglipron compared with an MBE of 49.2% (s.e.m. 3.92) with placebo, resulting in an estimated treatment difference of MBE 25.5% (95% confidence interval 14.5 to 36.5); P < 0.001; treatment-regimen estimand) at week 52. Cohort 2 participants who achieved body weight plateau maintained an MBE of 79.3% (s.e.m. 4.42) of body weight reduction with orforglipron compared with an MBE of 37.6% (s.e.m. 7.46) with placebo, resulting in an estimated treatment difference of MBE 41.7 (95% confidence interval 24.4 to 59.0); P < 0.001; treatment-regimen estimand) at week 52. All key secondary endpoints were met. The most common adverse events were gastrointestinal effects, which were mostly mild to moderate in severity. These data demonstrate orforglipron's potential as a globally scalable option for minimizing weight changes after injectable therapy. Trial limitations include the absence of a comparator arm involving continued use of injectable obesity-management medications and the trial's 1-year duration. ClinicalTrials.gov registration: NCT06584916 .
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42120723 · DOI · PMC13375559
Apitegromab for lean mass preservation during tirzepatide-induced weight loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Loss of lean mass in proportion to total weight loss is observed with incretin mimetic therapies such as tirzepatide and has the potential to adversely affect health and function.
- Closing excerpt
- gov identifier: NCT06445075 .
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (236 words)
Loss of lean mass in proportion to total weight loss is observed with incretin mimetic therapies such as tirzepatide and has the potential to adversely affect health and function. Apitegromab is an investigational, fully human monoclonal antibody that selectively inhibits myostatin activation and is, thereby, capable of increasing muscle mass. In the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 EMBRAZE study, adults with overweight or obesity (n = 102) were randomized 1:1 to receive tirzepatide plus apitegromab (10 mg kg-1) or tirzepatide plus placebo. At week 24, apitegromab resulted in a least square mean (80% confidence interval (CI)) of 1.9 (1.2-2.7) kg less lean mass loss than placebo (P = 0.001), despite similar total body weight loss between groups, representing a 54.9% retention of lean mass relative to placebo. In participants receiving apitegromab, trough concentrations of apitegromab and total latent myostatin, a pharmacodynamic marker, both increased over time and reached a plateau after approximately 16 weeks. Incidence of adverse events (AEs) (% (95% CI)) was generally similar across apitegromab-treated participants and placebo-treated participants, with 39 of 51 (76% (63-86%)) and 36 of 51 (71% (57-81%)) participants experiencing an AE, respectively. Serious adverse events (SAEs) were balanced and experienced by one of 51 (2% (0-10%)) participants in each arm. In summary, this proof-of-concept study demonstrated that selective targeting of myostatin by apitegromab was well tolerated and effective in preserving lean mass when combined with tirzepatide. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06445075 .
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42260100 · DOI · PMC13375528
Phospholipid Glutathione Peroxidase Overexpression Mitigates Cancer Cachexia by Protecting Muscle Mass and Lowering Inflammation [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundCancer cachexia is a muscle wasting syndrome that occurs in ~80% of cancer patients and is the primary cause of death for 22%-30% of cancer patients.
- Closing excerpt
- Future studies will explore the potential mechanisms for the protective effect of GPx4 in cancer cachexia.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (374 words)
BackgroundCancer cachexia is a muscle wasting syndrome that occurs in ~80% of cancer patients and is the primary cause of death for 22%-30% of cancer patients. The primary challenge associated with cancer cachexia is that effective therapies to treat the associated muscle loss and dysfunction are lacking. Research exploring whether reactive oxygen species (ROS, i.e., superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide) contributes to cancer cachexia has had mixed results. Lipid peroxidation is an underexplored component of oxidative stress that may contribute to cancer cachexia as markers of lipid peroxidation such as 4-hydroxyneoneal (4-HNE) and MDA (Malondialdehyde) are higher in muscle from tumour-bearing mice when compared to controls. Phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (GPx4) is an antioxidant enzyme that reduces lipid hydroperoxides. We hypothesized that reducing lipid peroxidation via GPx4 overexpression would mitigate cancer cachexia in tumour-bearing mice.MethodsOne million Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells or phosphate-buffered saline was injected into the hind flank of wildtype or GPx4 transgenic (Tg) mice at 6 months of age and the tumour developed for 4 weeks. Muscle mass, contractile function, mitochondrial respiration, RNA-sequencing, inflammation and the oxylipin profile were assessed.ResultsMuscle mass and myofiber cross-sectional area were reduced ~25% in wildtype tumour-bearing mice compared to control mice but not changed in GPx4 Tg tumour-bearing mice. GPx4 overexpression (~3-fold) did not raise maximal or specific muscle force generation in LLC-tumour-bearing mice. Muscle mitochondrial respiration was reduced in wildtype tumour-bearing mice by ~40% when compared to control mice but not altered in tumour-bearing GPx4 Tg mice. Quadricep RNA seq analysis revealed that expression of inflammatory genes was elevated in wildtype tumour-bearing mice when compared to control mice, and the expression of these genes was reduced in tumour-bearing GPx4 Tg mice compared to wildtype tumour-bearing mice. Next, we found that protein content of IL-6 was ~5-fold greater in muscle from wildtype tumour-bearing mice compared to control mice, and GPx4 overexpression prevented this increase in IL-6. We assessed the muscle oxylipin profile and found that many oxylipins generated by 12/15-Lox were elevated in tumour-bearing mice but not impacted by GPx4 overexpression.ConclusionsOur results show that GPx4 overexpression protected muscle mass and mitochondrial respiration in tumour-bearing mice, possibly by reducing muscle inflammation. Future studies will explore the potential mechanisms for the protective effect of GPx4 in cancer cachexia.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41854231 · DOI · PMC13140832
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Impact of maternal body mass index and gestational weight gain on pregnancy complications: an individual participant data meta-analysis of European, North American and Australian cohorts [4]
- Research article Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Adverse Maternal and Infant Outcomes [5]
- Research article Maternal body mass index, gestational weight gain, and the risk of overweight and obesity across childhood: An individual participant data meta-analysis [6]
- Research article Association of Antenatal Diet and Physical Activity-Based Interventions With Gestational Weight Gain and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Pharmacotherapy for adults with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials [8]
- Research article Weight-related stigma and psychological distress: A systematic review and meta-analysis [9]
References
- Aronne LJ, Horn DB, le Roux CW, Chao AM, Ho W, Halpern B, et al.. Orforglipron for maintenance of body weight reduction: the double-blind, randomized phase 3b ATTAIN-MAINTAIN trial. . 2026. PMID 42120723 · DOI · PMC13375559
- Pratley RE, Denham DS, Trivedi R, Watkins E, Connery L, Barnes J, et al.. Apitegromab for lean mass preservation during tirzepatide-induced weight loss: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial. . 2026. PMID 42260100 · DOI · PMC13375528
- Duggan E, Fuqua JD, Hagy B, Georgescu C, Miller BF, Van Remmen H, et al.. Phospholipid Glutathione Peroxidase Overexpression Mitigates Cancer Cachexia by Protecting Muscle Mass and Lowering Inflammation. . 2026. PMID 41854231 · DOI · PMC13140832
- Santos S, Voerman E, Amiano P, Barros H, Beilin LJ, Bergström A, et al.. Impact of maternal body mass index and gestational weight gain on pregnancy complications: an individual participant data meta-analysis of European, North American and Australian cohorts. BJOG. 2019. PMID 30786138 · DOI · PMC6554069
- LifeCycle Project-Maternal Obesity and Childhood Outcomes Study Group, Voerman E, Santos S, Inskip H, Amiano P, Barros H, et al.. Association of Gestational Weight Gain With Adverse Maternal and Infant Outcomes. JAMA. 2019. PMID 31063572 · DOI · PMC6506886
- Voerman E, Santos S, Patro Golab B, Amiano P, Ballester F, Barros H, et al.. Maternal body mass index, gestational weight gain, and the risk of overweight and obesity across childhood: An individual participant data meta-analysis. PLoS Med. 2019. PMID 30742624 · DOI · PMC6370184
- Teede HJ, Bailey C, Moran LJ, Bahri Khomami M, Enticott J, Ranasinha S, et al.. Association of Antenatal Diet and Physical Activity-Based Interventions With Gestational Weight Gain and Pregnancy Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2022. PMID 34928300 · DOI · PMC8689430
- Shi Q, Wang Y, Hao Q, Vandvik PO, Guyatt G, Li J, et al.. Pharmacotherapy for adults with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. Lancet. 2022. PMID 34895470 · DOI
- Alimoradi Z, Golboni F, Griffiths MD, Broström A, Lin CY, Pakpour AH. Weight-related stigma and psychological distress: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr. 2020. PMID 31732288 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-10-31; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-10-31.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.