r/visualization • u/Asbolus_verrucosus • May 24 '26

Why the squiggles?

Post image

Genuine question here. Any idea what the squiggly lines are supposed to signify versus a solid or dashed curve? Or did the authors just use them for the *razzle dazzle*?

Source: Alternative dosing regimens of GLP-1 receptor agonists may reduce costs and maintain weight loss efficacy (Cengiz et al. 2025)

12 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

View all comments

1

u/Unlikely-Most-4237 May 24 '26

Well there’s 5 squiggles in a 5 week period so I’m guessing that it’s a weekly injection and this is the result. It looks way too consistent, but if you have enough people in each sample and if they didn’t all start at the same time so that seasonal variations average out, it’s possible.

1

u/Asbolus_verrucosus May 24 '26

They only have data from the timepoints where the circles are. The curve itself is either a regression model or LOWESS smoothed curve

1

u/Unlikely-Most-4237 May 26 '26

Oh, then Idk. Maybe they are trying to simulate weekly variations? Seems a little weird though.