After gaining Hollywood recognition in 2021, GLP-1 drugs remain as popular as ever. Ozempic, the queen bee of these weight-loss medications, is only approved to treat type 2 diabetes. However, that hasn’t stopped celebrities and the average patient from using the drug off-label as an appetite suppressant. But with those figure-slimming perks come a score of potentially dangerous side effects, one of which has doctors very concerned.
RELATED: Ozempic and Mounjaro Patients Report Potentially Fatal New Side Effect.
Doctors are worried about Ozempic-related muscle loss.
Without proper dietary guidelines in place, taking GLP-1 drugs can be a slippery slope, many doctors have warned.
“It’s this constant struggle between eating protein and making sure you’re meeting your nutritional requirements, and then taking this drug that doesn’t allow you to eat,” explained anesthesiologist Nicole Martin, MD, on her Scrubs to Stilettos podcast.
This merry-go-round can cause patients to become “nutritionally deficient” and “skinny fat,” a term used to describe someone with a low BMI (body mass index) but lack of muscle density.
“When you restrict your calories, and you don’t eat well, and you don’t exercise, now you’re losing lean muscle mass,” further explained Tiffany Moon, MD, doctor and Scrubs to Stilettos podcast co-host.
As Best Life previously reported, “Strong muscles contribute to osteoporosis prevention, joint protection, bone growth, and better balance. A 2024 study published in JAMA Network Open found that taking GLP-1 drugs led to decreased muscle mass and increased bone mineral density (BMD).”
This alarming side effect was also flagged in a recent study conducted by nutrition experts from the University of Utah College of Health.
RELATED: Ozempic Patients Report Another Troubling Side Effect: “I’ve Lost at Least Half My Hair.”
GLP-1 drugs can cause a 10% reduction in lean muscle mass.
GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic can decrease lean muscle mass by roughly 10 percent, according to a new study published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
A decline in lean body mass—defined as “body weight that isn’t fat”—can disrupt your energy levels, skeletal muscles, and bone strength, “potentially compromising physical functions and quality of life, particularly in those susceptible to sarcopenia,” warned the authors.
In a preclinical mouse model, researchers observed negative changes in lean mass and muscle exertion. Notably, about 45 percent of weight loss was attributed to a reduction in lean mass. Skeletal muscle also shrank by six percent, and “they found that, for some muscles, strength decreased as the mice lost weight,” per the news release.
The authors cautioned against “drawing a one-to-one parallel with humans,” noting that both weight gain and loss have varying effects on mice and humans.
However, these results do corroborate previous theories about Ozempic’s adverse effect on lean muscle mass. In fact, their research ties back to a 2023 AARP report that revealed “for every pound you lose, about 25 percent is muscle and bone.”
RELATED: Ozempic and Wegovy May Have Landed 25,000 People in the ER—Here’s the Scary Reason Why.
Ozempic is also known to cause bone loss.
Bone frailty and weaker muscles are a natural sign of aging; however, certain medications, such as Ozempic, can expedite these changes in adults 65 and up.
“Significant weight loss, especially over a short time, can also contribute to a decrease in bone density, which may put older adults at increased risk of bone fractures or exacerbate pre-existing conditions such as osteoporosis,” HaVy Ngo-Hamilton, PharmD, a pharmacist and clinical consultant at BuzzRx, previously explained to Best Life.
Additionally, it can make this age group more susceptible to “health complications, disability, and mobility issues,” she added. Consequently, many health officials don’t encourage Ozempic treatment in geriatrics.
Source link
