Study finds popular diet drug Ozempic shrinks heart and body muscles
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Semaglutide , available as Ozempic or Ugovi, is a treatment used to control blood sugar in type 2 diabetes patients, but is also used to treat obesity because it reduces body weight. However, experiments using mice and cultured cells have revealed that this drug has a side effect of causing a decrease in cardiac and skeletal muscle.
Semaglutide Reduces Cardiomyocyte Size and Cardiac Mass in Lean and Obese Mice - ScienceDirect
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452302X24002869
Weight-loss drug found to shrink heart muscle in mice, human cells | Folio
https://www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/2024/11/weight-loss-drug-found-to-shrink-heart-muscle.html
A paper published in the medical journal The Lancet in November 2024 stated that 'up to 40% of the weight lost with semaglutide is due to loss of muscle rather than fat,' raising the possibility that semaglutide may have a side effect of causing not only fat but also skeletal muscle loss.
To investigate this issue further, a research team led by Jason Dyke of the University of Alberta in Canada conducted experiments in mice and found that both obese and lean mice had reduced myocardial mass.
The research team also confirmed in experiments that the same effect was seen in cultured human heart cells.
Because no adverse functional effects were observed in mice with small hearts, Dyck does not believe there would be any obvious health risks to humans receiving semaglutide.
However, it cannot be ruled out that stress on the heart may have deleterious effects that were not observed in the resting experiments, or that there may be long-term risks.
'For people prescribed a drug like Ozempic, the benefits should far outweigh the risks,' Dyck said. 'Given the increasing number of undiagnosed obese people taking this drug to lose weight, we suggest that clinical trials should carefully evaluate its effects on cardiac structure and function.'
'Semaglutide caused a much higher rate of muscle loss than calorie restriction or aging,' said lead author Carla Prado. 'Because muscle has many health functions, experts fear this could lead to a number of long-term health problems, including a weakened immune system, increased risk of infection and poorer wound healing.'
For example, muscles store amino acids that are important for repairing and keeping the body strong after damage caused by illness, stress, or injury, and muscles also play a major role in controlling blood sugar levels, thereby contributing to the prevention of diabetes.
It has also been discovered that muscles support the immune system through hormones called
'Muscles don't just help us move and lift things. They're powerful organs that keep us healthy in so many ways,' Prado said. 'Maintaining muscle mass is especially important during weight loss treatments.'
It is still unknown what effect the side effect of semaglutide, which can even cause muscle loss, will have on health, so the researchers wrote in their paper that 'careful evaluation in clinical trials is needed.'
Prado also advises people trying to treat obesity to 'include strength training, such as weightlifting or resistance bands. This type of exercise helps prevent muscle breakdown during weight loss and preserves muscle strength, allowing you to lose fat while minimizing muscle loss, maximizing the health benefits of treatment.'
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