Henning T. Langer, Natalie K. Gilmore, Christopher M.T. Hayden, Julien Roux, Bruno Bariohay, Thaïs Rouquet, Manar Awada, Julie Marcotorchino, Lorrine Bournot, Elizabeth Nunn, Paul M. Titchenell, Daniela Liśkiewicz, Timo D. Müller, Oluwaseun Anyiam, Philip J. Atherton, Iskandar Idris, Andreas Hentschel, Andreas Roos, Natalie Haritonow, Kristina Norman, Ursula Müller-Werdan, Keith Baar
The large decrease in body weight with glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medicines raises concern about a loss of lean body mass (LBM) and skeletal muscle. In this work, we present four pre-clinical studies and a proof-of-concept clinical trial that address this issue. We report that in obese mice, GLP-1 medicines predominantly reduce body fat alongside a small but significant decrease in LBM. Among lean tissues, loss of liver mass exceeds change in muscle mass. While absolute muscle mass and strength decrease, relative muscle mass and strength improve, resulting in better running performance. Interestingly, while atrophy is similar during immobilization, GLP-1 medicines have a distinct effect on the muscle proteome compared to calorie restriction. Patients with obesity on GLP-1 medicines improve their body composition without negatively affecting strength. Overall, in middle-aged mice and men, GLP-1 medicines slightly decrease absolute muscle values but positively impact body composition and mobility. The clinical trial is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05606471).