- While previous studies show that adults taking a GLP-1 medication can lose between 5 and 15% of their starting body weight, other research reports that a good part of this weight loss comes from muscle loss.
- A new study indicates, via a mouse model, that muscle loss of GLP-1 drugs as Ozempic may not be as high as recently.
- The researchers also found that the decrease in lean muscle mass was not all skeletal muscles, but other body tissue, including the liver.
Recent polls believe that an adult in eight in the United States has taken a
The types of GLP-1 drugs include semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy, and
Previous studies show that adults taking a GLP-1 medication can lose between 5 and 15% of their starting body weight within one year.
However, other research reports than on
Now a new study recently published in the journal
The researchers also found that the decrease in lean muscle mass was not all skeletal muscles, but other body tissue, including the liver.
Loss of lean muscle mass not only skeletal muscles
For this study, researchers used a mouse model to determine how GLP-1 drugs and Ozempique affected lean muscle mass.
During the analysis, the researchers found that the weight loss linked to the Ozempic in mice resulted in a decrease in lean muscle mass by around 10%, which is lower than certain previous studies reports.
Scientists report that when mice lost weight, some skeletal muscles have decreased, while other muscles have remained the same. The researchers say that the decrease in muscle mass is a return to the basic line, because winning fats is generally accompanied by a skeletal muscle gain.
The researchers found that some mice experienced a decrease in the strength of the skeletal muscles which remained almost the same size.
In addition, the researchers found that a good part of the decrease in lean muscular mass did not come from skeletal muscles, but rather from other tissues of the body, such as the liver, of which they declare a reduced size of almost half. It is not uncommon for the liver to decrease in size during weight loss, which can help reduce the risk of a person’s liver disease.
“If we really want to help individuals who can lose muscle mass, then we must know that they really lose muscle mass,” said Katsu Funai, PHD, associate professor of nutrition and integrative physiology at the University of Utah College of Health and the main author of the study in a press release. “We have data in mice that suggest that things are not as simple as they may seem.”
Work with a dietitian while taking the GLP-1
Medical news today According to Seth Kipnis, MD, Facs, Fasmbs, director of bariatric and robotic surgery at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, about this study, which commented that a drop in lean muscle mass is expected.
A certain muscle loss is inevitable
“Any patient with limited diet and poor nutrition / protein will have a drop in muscle mass. The key to any weight loss, surgical, medical or GLP-1 program is adequate nutrition. Working with a recorded dietitian is the key to long -term success and to avoid complications of malnutrition. ”
– Seth Kipnis, MD, FACS, FASMBS
“More and more people are regularly taking these drugs,” he said. “They work well to control the weight. We must know the side effects that can be caused in the long term so that patients can advise themselves on how to avoid long -term problems. ”
Kipnis said he would like to see better long -term data like the next steps in this research.
“And are different results found depending on the prescriber and the type of follow-up,” he added. “We assume that specialists in weight management and nutrition will have better results than a primary care doctor who treats each disease. Obesity is a unique disease that requires specialists to manage. ”
Human trials had to analyze GLP-1 and muscle loss more
Mnt He also spoke to Kais Rona, MD, bariatric surgeon of Memorialcare Surgical-Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.
“As a doctor who has treated and continues to deal with many patients with GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, I found this study quite interesting,” said Rona. “Although the data in this study cannot be extrapolated directly to humans, they highlight the potentially important physiological effects of the drug. »»
“The decrease in lean mass with the use of GLP-1 has been associated with a lower decrease in skeletal muscle mass and a greater decrease in the size of metabolical organs metabolically such as the liver. This can have significant physiological effects on metabolism and overall health. We also see a decrease in liver mass in patients with weight loss surgery, which often causes health effects. And if it is also reflected in a loss of strength. »»
– Kais Rona, MD
“It is extremely important to continue to study the potential side effects, including the loss of lean muscle mass, associated with GLP-1 drugs because it can have major effects on our health system as a whole,” added Rona. “In addition, we must continue to expand our understanding of the physiological effects of these drugs to optimize patient safety and overall results.”
Rona said the next best research step would be to carry out randomized controlled trials in humans to further analyze the effects of GLP-1 drugs on lean mass as well as skeletal muscle mass.
“It would be important to assess its effects on muscle strength as well as on function,” he added. “To also determine whether certain areas of the body are more sensitive to muscle loss as well as the identification of preventive strategies to combat muscle loss.”
