Semaglutide, fat loss and muscle maintenance
If you’re taking semaglutide but don't resistance train, you risk losing muscle as well as fat. Here's why it's important to have a healthy balance of the two.
Semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic, Wegovy, and others, is an antidiabetic medication used for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and as an anti-obesity medication for long-term weight management.
Semaglutide injection is in a class of medications called incretin mimetics, which work by helping the pancreas to release the right amount of insulin when blood sugar levels are high. Insulin helps move sugar from the blood into other body tissues where it is used for energy
The intended patient population for Wegovy is people with chronic obesity, and Ozempic is for those with type 2 diabetes, though both drugs are now more typically prescribed for weight loss.
Semaglutide is not a 'magic bullet'
The once-a-week injection - which can help people loose up to 2lbs a week - has been in high demand since last summer.
But the aim when losing weight should be to change your body composition - the ratio of fat to muscle - not just become a smaller "skinny fat" version of yourself.
So just like losing weight without medication, taking steps to help the body maintain muscle is crucial to ensure a person loses fat, not just overall weight.
There are only a few studies of muscle loss when taking semaglutide, but a 2021 US clinical trial that tested the weight loss effects of Wegovy found that about 40% of the weight people lost tended to be lean mass, including muscle, at the end of 68 weeks. And Japanese researchers recently reported that people lost half a kilo of muscle after three months on the drug.
This makes it imperative to take part in resistance training to prevent muscle loss when taking Ozempic or Wegovy.
Having a healthy balance of muscle and fat is key to fending off chronic disease and frailty over the long haul. More muscle mass not only creates a "toned" physique but is also linked to a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, and dementia, and a range of other health issues.
Sarcopenia (age-related muscle loss) begins around the age of 35, so it's also important to counteract this. Resistance training, together with a high protein diet, can help minimise muscle loss as we get older and is especially important for people over 50.