Diabetes research and clinical practice

GLP-1 medicines may cause muscle loss linked to weight loss

Updated

Abstract

Treatment with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) may lead to significant reductions in muscle mass.

  • GLP-1 RAs and dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists are commonly used to manage type 2 diabetes and obesity.
  • Evidence suggests that these therapies are associated with muscle mass loss, potentially leading to sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity.
  • Some studies indicate that GLP-1 RAs can reduce lean mass and increase the risk of developing sarcopenia.
  • Preclinical findings suggest that GLP-1 based therapies may help reduce muscle wasting, improve muscle function, and support mitochondrial health.
  • Limited clinical data point to a possible role of these therapies in preserving muscle mass under specific conditions.
  • Management strategies, including optimized diet and targeted exercise, along with novel pharmacological interventions, may help preserve muscle mass.

Simplified

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

Funding

Competing interests

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dimitrios Pantazopoulos has no conflicts of interest. Evanthia Gouveri has attended conferences sponsored by Berlin-Chemie, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, Novo Nordisk, Lilly, Boehringer Ingelheim, Menarini, Petsiavas and KRKA Hellas; received speaker honoraria by AstraZeneca, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Sanofi, Menarini. Dimitrios Papazoglou declares associations with Menarini, Novo Nordisk, Astra-Zeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim and Sanofi-Aventis. Nikolaos Papanas has been an advisory board member of Astra-Zeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Menarini, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Takeda and TrigoCare International; has participated in sponsored studies by Astra-Zeneca, Eli-Lilly, GSK, MSD, Novo Nordisk, Novartis and Sanofi-Aventis; has received honoraria as a speaker for Astra-Zeneca, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Eli-Lilly, ELPEN, Galenica, Menarini, MSD, Mylan, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, Takeda and Vianex; and attended conferences sponsored by TrigoCare International, Bayer, Eli-Lilly, Galenica, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer and Sanofi-Aventis.
PubMed

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

  • 📚7 fresh studies
  • 📝plain-language summaries
  • direct links to original studies
  • 🏅top journal indicators
  • 📅weekly delivery
  • 🧘‍♂️always free