Recent pharmaceutical innovations have introduced a new avenue for weight loss: drugs based on gut hormones such as GLP-1 and GIP. These medications, like semaglutide (Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), have shown promising results in aiding weight reduction.
However, not all the weight loss achieved with these drugs comes from fat reduction. Research indicates that up to one-third of the weight lost consists of non-fat mass, which includes muscle tissue and bone mass. This phenomenon is not unique to GLP-1 drugs; it also occurs with weight loss surgeries and extreme calorie-restriction diets.
Muscle protein breakdown and reduced bone stress are proposed as primary reasons for the loss of muscle and bone during weight loss. To optimize the benefits of GLP-1 drugs while minimizing health risks, experts recommend adopting complementary lifestyle changes.
Key strategies include increasing protein intake, prioritizing resistance training, and incorporating daily movement. Consuming enough protein is critical for maintaining muscle during weight loss. Prioritizing resistance exercises can help retain muscle and strengthen bones.
Regular health check-ups and monitoring of body composition are also essential for tracking changes over time and guiding adjustments to diet or activity levels. As researchers continue to investigate the trade-offs associated with non-fat mass loss, future iterations of GLP-1 drugs may include improvements that specifically target fat loss while sparing muscle and bone.
In all weight loss with or without GLP-1 help, you can loose muscle and bone density due to caloric restriction. If you are in a caloric deficit and don’t add strength training and increase the amount of lean protein while keeping a deficit you will loose muscle. To limit muscle loss you must loose weight slowly (1 lb a week) and do strength training.
Source: https://dailygalaxy.com/2024/12/doctors-raise-red-flags-over-weight-loss-drugs-they-may-be-destroying-your-bones-and-muscles