775-P: Influence of Eating Behavior on Therapeutic Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists over a One-Year Period

To evaluate the relationship of GLP-1RA therapy on HbA1c and body weight with eating behavior, a multicenter, prospective, observational study was conducted in Japanese individuals with T2D who had begun taking GLP-1RAs. The participants received two questionnaires: the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) and the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQg) and received blood tests and anthropometric measurements before and one year after initiation of a GLP-1RA. The DEBQ includes 33 questions regarding External, Emotional, and Restrained eating behaviors, i.e., eating prompted by external stimuli such as the appearance and smell of food, eating prompted by emotions such as anger and anxiety, and eating restrained by considerations for health, for example, respectively. Fifty-seven individuals (age 60.7±13.1 years; duration of diabetes 14.8±14.9 years, and BMI 29.1±5.6) participated in the study. HbA1c, body weight and % body fat were significantly reduced by GLP-1RA treatment overall [HbA1c (%), 8.1±1.5 to 7.0±1.2, p<0.001; body weight (kg), 78.2±19.0 to 74.2±19.7, p<0.001; and % body fat (%), 35.3±7.6 to 32.9±8.7, p<0.001], while muscle mass was not affected [muscle mass (kg), 47.4±11.0 to 47.4±10.9, p=0.929]. Macronutrient intake was significantly decreased in all participants. The DEBQ external eating score (2.95±0.77 to 2.49±0.69, p <0.001) significantly decreased, while the restrained eating score (2.83±0.73 to 3.00±0.76, p =0.133) and the emotional eating score (1.99±0.86 to 1.85±0.66, p=0.516) did not show significant change. In correlation analyses, a higher external eating score was found to be significantly associated with a greater reduction in HbA1c (Pearson's correlation coefficient r= -0.28, p= 0.036) and body weight (r= -0.300, p=0.025). Thus, GLP-1RAs exert a greater therapeutic effect in individuals with diabetes who are prompted to eat by external stimuli such as the appearance and smell of food than by emotional triggers or health considerations.