What Ozempic might be doing to your muscles and Organs

As use of the popular anti-diabetic and weight-loss drug Ozempic skyrockets, so have concerns about the medication's side effects. One such side effect is loss of "lean mass" (body weight that isn't fat) raising concerns that Ozempic could be reducing muscle (and organ) mass.

A weighty concern

Researchers found that "Ozempic-induced weight loss" decreased lean mass by about 10%. Much of this lost weight was from skeletal muscles, however other tissues like the liver, were also observed to shrink by nearly half.

It is worth noting that these changes were observed in mice. The researchers emphasize that more research is needed to determine whether similar changes to organ size occur in humans, and whether those changes come with any risks.

Loss of mass in metabolically active organs, such as the liver, is expected as part of weight loss.

A potential loss of strength when taking Ozempic may be of particular concern for adults over the age of 60, who are at higher baseline risk for muscle loss and reduced mobility. The loss of physical function is a strong predictor of not just quality of life and mortality.

Clinical trials are needed

There remains a significant need for validation in humans, especially concerning muscle strength. The results were published in Cell Metabolism as "Unexpected effects of semaglutide on skeletal muscle mass and force-generating capacity in mice."

Adapted from: Losing weight but gaining weakness? What Ozempic might be doing to your muscles | ScienceDaily