HomeAnswers About Medication And Drugs
Answers About Medication And Drugs

Answers About Medication And Drugs

There are four chambers in a human heart.



'More and more patients will get GLP-1 drugs, so we need solutions to the side effects, whether that's dietary supplements or new medicines.' 'This is going to become an important field in medicine in the coming years,' says Prof Miras.

Prof Miras adds that too much muscle loss can have negative health effects, particularly for older people. This can lead to serious bone breaks.' 'But having less muscle at an older age makes you more vulnerable to falls. 'Losing a lot of muscle can be bad for your cardiovascular health as it makes exercise more difficult,' he says.

Professor Alex Miras, consultant endocrinologist and lecturer at Imperial College London, polkadot chocolate bar says: 'Every weight-loss technique leads to some muscle reduction but, until now, we haven't had treatments anywhere near as powerful as semaglutide.

Later this year, US firm Regeneron will begin a clinical trial combining semaglutide with an antibody drug that blocks receptors that regulate muscle growth, theoretically stopping the body from breaking down muscles during weight loss.

Ozempic and Wegovy - the brand names for semaglutide - were first created to treat diabetes, but have proved to be highly effective at combating obesity, with patients on the highest doses of the weekly injections shedding up to a fifth of their body weight.

In one recent US study, participants lost, on average, 15lb (7kg) of muscle as well as 23lb (10kg) of fat during a 68-week trial. Trials of another GLP-1 drug, tirzepatide, found that patients lost about a tenth of their muscle mass.

The 71-year-old, who weighed 142lb (64kg) when she began taking the treatment, said she 'needed to put weight back on'. In December, reality TV star Sharon Osbourne described semaglutide as 'very dangerous' after losing 42lb (19kg) in less than a year.

The Weight Watchers app advises those on its plans to ensure they maintain muscle as they lose weight. It also encourages users to exercise, which studies suggest is another important factor in avoiding muscle loss. There are other options available to patients anxious about losing muscle mass while taking a GLP-1 drug.

Now medical firm Abbott has launched a line of high-protein, low-fat milkshakes in the US that are designed to maintain muscle mass among people taking weight-loss drugs, and which experts hope could soon be available in the UK.

Last year Weight Watchers launched an app which provides nutrition tips to people taking semaglutide - the firm now also arranges access to private clinicians who can prescribe it. Some companies are even developing medicines to take alongside the injections which can counteract muscle loss.

'People on these drugs eat so little, it's very difficult to give them the recommended amount of protein,' says Prof Miras. 'If you're barely eating, then even drinking three protein shakes in a day won't supplement all the other nutrients you need, such as carbohydrates.'