Demand for GLP-1 agonists has been steadily climbing. From 2019 to 2023, the number of patients without diabetes who started GLP-1 treatment for obesity rose 700%; and demand for these ‘miracle’ weight loss drugs isn’t letting up. J.P. Morgan predicts that the U.S. market will exceed $100B and 30 million users by 2030. And while it seems like there’s a new research article coming out about GLP-1s every week, there’s still a lot we need to learn. One topic of particular interest is the medication class effect on muscle mass and the implications of that loss on overall health and long-term weight maintenance.
“It's pretty clear from the evidence that you see loss of muscle mass with GLP-1s,” Todd Norwood, DPT, Omada’s Senior Director of Clinical Services, said. “When we look at scientific literature today, it looks as though it's more severe than if you were losing weight without a GLP-1.”
However, this subject is more complex than the quantity of muscle lost. Weight reduction with GLP-1s comes with additional challenges and benefits that require the right education and support.