Fat, muscle, and anti-obesity medications in cardiovascular disease prevention - PubMed
8 hours ago
- #Body Composition
- #Anti-Obesity Medications
- #Cardiovascular Prevention
- GLP-1 receptor agonists used in obesity treatment cause weight loss that includes both fat mass and lean body mass (skeletal muscle), raising concerns about sarcopenia and frailty.
- Muscle loss with these drugs is due to caloric restriction, anabolic resistance, and hormonal shifts, potentially reducing long-term cardiovascular risk reduction.
- Emerging agents like myostatin/activin pathway inhibitors and selective androgen receptor modulators may increase muscle quality and synergize with incretin-based therapies.
- Resistance training is recommended to preserve muscle during pharmacologic weight loss, with adjunctive strategies like optimized protein intake and nutraceuticals.
- A paradigm shift is needed from focusing on total weight loss to high-quality weight loss that preserves or enhances muscle mass to optimize body composition and cardiovascular prevention.
- Future research should focus on lean mass preservation as a goal, redefine trial endpoints, and validate combination interventions for optimal body composition.