January 2025

About one in eight adults in the United States has tried or currently uses a GLP-1 medication, and a quarter of those users cite weight loss as their main goal. But weight loss doesn’t discriminate between fat and muscle. Patients using GLP-1 drugs can experience rapid and substantial muscle loss, accounting for as much as 40% of their total weight loss. So how can we lose weight without also losing critical muscle?

Developed initially to manage diabetes, glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists have skyrocketed in popularity since the US Food & Drug Administration first approved semaglutide (brand name Ozempic/Wegovy) for weight loss in 2021. Approval of tirzepatide (brand name Mounjaro/Zepbound), an even more efficacious medication, soon followed in 2023.

The benefits of taking GLP-1 agonists seem to outweigh the risks, at least when taken for approved uses, according to an assessment of how the drugs affect 175 conditions