New Drug in Development to Offset Bone and Muscle Loss From GLP-1 Drugs, but Does It Underscore a Bigger Problem?
Strength training is crucial to the safety and efficacy of long-term weight loss on Ozempic.
Although the first GLP-1 drug was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the early 2000s, it wasn't until a few years ago that its use became mainstream. Originally crafted to help people with type-2 diabetes, the class of medication was quickly recognized as a way to facilitate weight loss.
In 2023, celebrities and average joes alike couldn't wait to get their hands on the highly effective injectables in hopes of a lower body fat percentage.
But the drugs didn't come without side effects, such as pancreatitis and reduced muscle mass and bone density. Strength training while using GLP-1 drugs is integral to staving off the latter. However, a study suggests there may be a loophole.
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A certain antibody known as bimagrumab could be the key to increasing muscle mass and bone density due to the use of GLP-1 drugs, according to the research originally published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia, and Muscle.
To perform the study, researchers broke mice into five different groups, some of which included injecting the legs of the mice with botulinum toxin to immobilize them and replicate the concurrent loss of muscle mass and bone density. Immediately after, the mice were given twice weekly bimagrumab injections for 21 days. After this, their muscle mass and skeletal muscle fiber size were analyzed.
They found the mice injected with bimagrumab had increased muscle mass, muscle fibers, and bone mineral density in the hindlimb of immobilized and unconstrained mice. Not only this, but it increased the bone formation in cortical bone (the denser variant of bone tissue).
Because the study was based on mice, researchers are still a long way off from seeing if it's safe to use on humans. According to postdoc fellow Andreas Lodberg who was one of the researchers behind the study, more research is needed.
"Our study shows that bimagrumab has a positive effect in many areas, but we also have indications that the drug may have other side effects, and we'll now investigate this further to get a clearer picture of the implications of using the drug for patients, he said in a statement."
If this advancement goes through, it could be advantageous to patients who are older, less mobile, or have physical handicaps that prevent exercise—but it could also open Pandora's box for those who are physically abled and capable of exercising. By always turning to medication to solve a problem, do we undermine the lifestyle changes necessary to safely lose weight and keep it off? And do we encourage those on the hunt for quick fixes—who don't medically need GLP-1 drugs—to bypass the role they play in taking their health into their own hands?
