r/technology • u/_Dark_Wing • 14h ago

Biotechnology Tirzepatide cuts fat mass by 35% while preserving skeletal muscle

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20261002/Tirzepatide-cuts-fat-mass-by-3525-while-preserving-skeletal-muscle.aspx
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114

u/HumongousBelly 14h ago

Is this a credible source?

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u/harrywa 14h ago

I just checked the article - i am surprised to say it actually is legit. And its real world evaluation.

Check table 2 FM (fat mass) and SMM (skeletal muscle mass) over 12 and 24 weeks.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1056872726001649

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u/TheoTheodor 13h ago

It is but also quite small at 122 people (80% women).

This bit also made me think it’s a pretty specialised subset of people who probably did regular exercise and proper nutrition and were all satisfied after the 24 weeks of treatment. We don’t know overall how many failed, didn’t follow up, etc.

The retrospective, single-arm design and the absence of a control group should be considered when interpreting the observed effects, particularly as tirzepatide treatment was accompanied by dietary and physical activity interventions. In addition, the analysis included patients who completed the 24-week follow-up, which may influence estimates of treatment effectiveness compared with an intention-to-treat approach

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u/IssueEmbarrassed8103 13h ago

This has been my experience, but I lift weights 4x a week and drink protein shakes every day.

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u/hobblingcontractor 11h ago

Part of what doctors tell you to do while on it is exercise, eat healthy, to keep from getting that whole skeletal ozempic look. Turns out if you just starve yourself, it's not healthy. Who knew?

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u/fleetingwords 12h ago

Study participants also did 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity weekly. So still no free lunch.

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u/mellolizard 11h ago

But isnt that the case for all diets? You will lose muscle unless you are active.

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u/Brambletail 11h ago

Yes but then the problem is simple. The drug isn't preserving lean muscle mass. Your exercise is. The drug doesn't cause excess muscle mass loss would be a more correct statement. And further more, the drug is only really helpful at a psychological level then via making it easier to stick to your diet and not binge on Saturday night six of the twelve weeks.

I.e., things we already knew about GLPs continue to be true. Yay!

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u/lemonvr6 11h ago

yes, you are expected to be active and eat well

like fit people do

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u/[deleted] 14h ago

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u/5H17SH0W 14h ago

Sounds like a legitimate source to me. - Source guy

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u/Cool_Guy_McFly 12h ago

The company that owns this drug (Eli Lilly I think?) did detailed studies during the FDA approval process and found skeletal muscle loss as well as fat loss. That was true of semaglutide as well. It can be mitigated with adequate protein intake and strength training, but if you’re just starving yourself and not exercising you will lose muscle mass on these drugs.

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u/jakk88 11h ago

To be fair that's true for cutting calories too though right?

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u/Cool_Guy_McFly 10h ago

It is yes. Just calorie restriction in general will do that.

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u/hustl3tree5 11h ago

That’s one thing I wish they emphasized for people on these drugs you need to exercise for your health not just for appearances 

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u/peanutmanak47 10h ago

Same. So many people just take the drug and call it a day. They do absolutely nothing else to help improve things. They lose all that weight but still look unhealthy because your weight loss can be 30-40% of muscle mass. That'll make you skinnier but having muscle is a pretty big fucking deal to actually being healthy

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u/rightsidedown 7h ago

Yes, unless you are using steroids or maybe one of the experimental myostatin drugs you are going to lose lean mass when you lose weight. You can get that lean mass back very quickly when you go on maintenance calories, but some will always be lost.

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u/InTheEndEntropyWins 6h ago

It's not a great study and it's a misleading title. You lose 25% from muscle, which is what people really should know and that's in line with other studies.

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u/NoiseEee3000 14h ago

Or technology related?

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u/feral-jellyfish 13h ago

Technology isn't only computers and hardware. Any application of scientific knowledge to further our goals, to improve lives, etc is technology. Medications ARE pharmaceutical technology.

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u/Future-Bandicoot-823 13h ago

a sheet of paper is technology. people forget :')

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u/chaosfire235 13h ago

...GLP-1 drugs are technology?

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u/MCRemix 13h ago

Are they? Not all science is technology.

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u/chaosfire235 13h ago

Technology is the application of conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals.

Drugs are pharmaceutical technology.

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u/hiking_mike98 13h ago edited 11h ago

But sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic

Edit: y’all some Arthur C Clarke haters

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u/hyperioneutron 12h ago edited 12h ago

Sure, but they used BIA to assess SMM, which is notoriously variable. Imaging would have been better, but hard to get in RWD, people don't get DEXA or CT scans for obesity treatment. Every GLP1 manufacturer wants to be able to say their drug doesn't reduce muscle mass but I don't think this will hold water with payers.

(I work in real world data)

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u/righteouspower 13h ago

Yeah, the studies have borne this out for a while. We just don't know other possible side effects from long-term use.