The Truth About Ozempic and Muscle Loss

It’s hard to spell a time without proceeding thing caller astir the latest diabetes and obesity medications, semaglutide and tirzepatide. Usually, the buzz is positive, but determination has been a persistent assertion made astir these drugs that would marque immoderate imaginable idiosyncratic wary: They don’t lone assistance you suffer weight—they supposedly hollow retired your musculus wide astatine the aforesaid time, making you anemic and susceptible to each sorts of aboriginal wellness problems down the line. But what does the existent subject say, and conscionable however disquieted should you beryllium astir musculus nonaccomplishment if taking these drugs?

Semaglutide (sold arsenic Ozempic and Wegovy) and tirzepatide (sold arsenic Mounjaro and Zepbound) are the most caller additions to a people of drugs known arsenic incretins, which mimic hormones important to our metabolism and consciousness of hunger, among different functions. Semaglutide mimics GLP-1, portion the newer tirzepatide mimics GLP-1 and different hormone, GIP. Both drugs person been recovered to assistance radical safely, reliably, and substantially suffer much value connected mean than fare unsocial oregon other treatments, extracurricular of bariatric surgery. Studies person besides suggested that these medications tin stave disconnected heart, kidney, and liver illness successful obese radical susceptible to it and perchance adjacent assistance dainty addiction and different conditions not strictly tied to obesity oregon diabetes.

As awesome arsenic these drugs look to be, nary attraction comes without its imaginable negatives. Users volition commonly acquisition gastrointestinal issues similar vomiting and diarrhea, though these symptoms thin to wane implicit time. They whitethorn besides origin uncommon but perchance superior complications similar gastroparesis, often referred to arsenic tummy paralysis.

Some critics person besides alleged that GLP-1s tin dangerously sap our musculus mass, but experts interviewed by Gizmodo accidental this assertion isn’t presently backed by the information oregon our knowing of however these drugs work.

The skinny connected musculus nonaccomplishment and GLP-1 use

For starters, the anticipation of musculus nonaccomplishment portion taking these drugs isn’t surprising. Long earlier Ozempic appeared connected the scene, doctors person known that this tin hap with immoderate signifier of value loss. When we slim down, we typically suffer immoderate operation of abdominous and fat-free mass, besides known arsenic thin assemblage mass, which tin see our muscles. And portion determination mightiness beryllium immoderate different aspects of GLP-1s that assistance america suffer weight, they chiefly trim our appetite and summation our consciousness of fullness, starring america to devour little calories implicit time. In different words, there’s thing peculiarly caller astir however we suffer value portion taking them.

Studies person recovered that erstwhile obese radical suffer important value done fare unsocial oregon via bariatric surgery, 20% to 30% of that value is thin assemblage mass. And truthful far, we’re not uncovering that GLP-1 drugs are veering dramatically from this baseline. A 2024 review of objective proceedings information connected semaglutide, for instance, recovered that the proportionality of thin assemblage wide mislaid portion losing value ranged from 0% to 40%. And ample objective trials of tirzepatide person found that the percent of thin assemblage wide mislaid is successful enactment with the percent mislaid done fare oregon surgery.

“So it truly is connected par,” Michael Weintraub, an endocrinologist and objective obesity researcher astatine New York University Langone Health, told Gizmodo implicit the phone. “And there’s nary crushed to deliberation there’s immoderate unsocial mechanics of these GLP-1 agonists that is causing a benignant of circumstantial musculus wide loss.”

These numbers unsocial don’t archer the afloat representation either. Even with the highest figures, obese radical are inactive losing much abdominous than thin assemblage wide and that’s undeniably a nett positive, Weintraub says. One crushed wherefore musculus nonaccomplishment tin beryllium unsafe is that it tin marque america frail and little capable to transportation retired our regular functions. But that’s perfectly not what the probe is showing. Compared to placebo, radical connected these drugs person reported a amended prime of beingness and improved carnal functioning. Some constricted information person besides suggested that these drugs tin origin a nonaccomplishment of thin assemblage wide but without really compromising the prime of our muscles.

“When I spot my patients, they’ll accidental things like: ‘Well, I conscionable consciousness truthful overmuch better, I’m capable to relation truthful overmuch better. I’m capable to spell up and down the subway without having to stop,’” Weintraub said. “Those are the outcomes, I think, that really matter.”

‘No information to enactment the notion’

Samuel Klein is the director of the Center for Human Nutrition astatine Washington University School of Medicine successful St. Louis. Earlier this month, helium and different obesity researchers wrote astir this precise taxable for an nonfiction successful JAMA and came to the aforesaid basal decision arsenic above.

“We decided to reappraisal the lit cautiously and really recovered that determination is conscionable nary information to enactment the conception that value nonaccomplishment with GLP-1 agonist therapy causes effects connected musculus mass, oregon abdominous escaped mass, that pb to abnormalities successful carnal function,” Klein told Gizmodo implicit the phone.

There are immoderate imaginable ways that incretin drugs could beryllium riskier erstwhile it comes to our muscles. All the information mentioned supra pertains to individuals utilizing these medications for either benignant 2 diabetes oregon obesity, but their occurrence has besides driven a nationalist request that has regularly outmatched the disposable supply. That, combined with precocious database prices (upwards of $1,000 a month) and debased security coverage, has fueled a gray and achromatic market for the drugs, making it comparatively casual for anyone to get their hands connected it, adjacent if they don’t needfully request it. So idiosyncratic who’s already reasonably bladed and is taking semaglutide could perchance go underweight oregon suffer applicable amounts of muscle, though Klein notes that helium hasn’t seen immoderate lawsuit reports of this happening yet. Then again, immoderate drug’s risks tin outweigh the benefits erstwhile utilized by radical that it’s not meant for.

Riding musculus nonaccomplishment worries

The deficiency of information supporting monolithic musculus nonaccomplishment hasn’t stopped immoderate cause companies from trying to counteract the issue. Several companies are testing a combination of GLP-1s with drugs designed to summation musculus oregon forestall musculus loss. It’s surely imaginable that these combinations mightiness amended people’s wellness adjacent much than taking a GLP-1 alone, particularly for older radical who are already astatine higher hazard of losing musculus arsenic they age. But these trials shouldn’t beryllium seen arsenic an admittance by Big Pharma that we truly person thing to interest astir either, Klein argues.

“It’s a attraction looking for a problem,” helium said. “I deliberation the archetypal measurement would beryllium is to show that value nonaccomplishment with these medications successful a subset of radical causes harm by excessive musculus wide nonaccomplishment and decreased carnal function. And until you show that, it’s unclear that preventing the musculus nonaccomplishment volition person therapeutic effects that are worthy it.”

Actions to support musculus health

If you are inactive disquieted astir imaginable musculus nonaccomplishment from taking these drugs oregon losing value different way, past here’s immoderate encouraging news: We already cognize however to assistance trim oregon forestall it.

“I walk a batch of clip successful the session counseling patients connected this, making definite that they’re attaining capable macromolecule intake, and past making definite that we’re spending effort connected strength, oregon resistance, training,” Weintraub said. “Because we cognize that [those 2 things] tin truly mitigate the musculus wide nonaccomplishment that we mightiness spot with anti-obesity medications.”

For their part, experts similar Weintraub and Klein bash endorse further probe looking much intimately astatine musculus (and bone) nonaccomplishment portion taking these drugs. But they’re besides unequivocal astir wherever the grounds stands for the clip being.

“We conscionable person to travel the data—it’s the yellowish ceramic road—and not beryllium wedded to immoderate peculiar viewpoint. But close now, determination are nary information that I’m alert of supporting that this is simply a problem,” Klein said.