Two is better than one: new clinical trial suggests that a combination of two drugs can reinforce weight loss while preserving muscle mass.
Combine Class Medications GLP-1like semaglutidawith drugs designed to protect or increase muscle mass could be the ideal future for medically-assisted weight loss.
Results last Monday, in Nature Medicine, indicate that the 2-in-1 strategy could lead to more pronounced weight loss, with greater fat reduction and less loss of lean mass.
The data comes from a phase II trial, conducted by researchers from Eli Lilly and other institutions, which evaluated the association between semaglutide — the active ingredient used in medicines such as and — and bimagrumaban experimental antibody developed to counteract muscle loss.
According to the authors, cited by , the results support the future development of bimagrumab, alone or in combination with incretin therapies, to optimize weight loss.
Weight loss in people with obesity often involves not just fat but also lean mass, which includes muscle. It is believed that fat reduction is normally proportionally greater, which improves overall body composition. Furthermore, weight loss is generally associated with improvements in physical function, even when there is some reduction in muscle mass. In recent years, however, some studies have raised the hypothesis that GLP-1 medications may cause a slightly greater loss of lean mass than would otherwise be expected. It was this new notion that fueled fears about a possible negative impact of these drugs on the muscles.
In the new trial, which involved around 500 participants with obesity, volunteers were divided into four groups: placebo, bimagrumab alone, semaglutide alone and the combination of the two drugs. After 48 weeks, participants who received the highest doses of semaglutide and bimagrumab lost up to 20% of their body weightwhile those who only took the highest dose of semaglutide lost up to 15%.
At 72 weeks, the combination also showed advantages in body composition: the combined group recorded a fat reduction of 45.7%, compared to 27.8% in the group treated with semaglutide alone. At the same time, he lost less lean mass: 2.9% compared to 7.4%.
The safety profile was considered globally consistent with that already known for both therapeutic classes, including gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea, associated with semaglutide, and muscle cramps, associated with bimagrumab.
Despite the potential, experts emphasize that strength training and adequate protein intake continue to be proven ways to preserve muscle mass during weight loss. This combined approach could especially benefit people at higher risk of muscle loss, such as risk groups.
