Beyond fat: Does semaglutide affect lean mass?

Tannaz Jamialahmadi; Ali H Eid; Kishore M Gadde; Wael Almahmeed; Matthew Kroh; Mohammad Al Zein; Amirhossein Sahebkar

doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2024.12.004

Beyond fat: Does semaglutide affect lean mass?

Clin Nutr. 2024 Dec 4:44:104-108. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.12.004. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tannaz Jamialahmadi¹, Ali H Eid², Kishore M Gadde³, Wael Almahmeed⁴, Matthew Kroh⁵, Mohammad Al Zein⁶, Amirhossein Sahebkar⁷

Affiliations

¹ Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Medical Toxicology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
² Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
³ Department of Surgery, University of California Irvine Medical Center, Orange, CA, USA.
⁴ Heart and Vascular Institute, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
⁵ Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
⁶ Faculty of Medical Sciences, Lebanese University, Hadath, Beirut, Lebanon.
⁷ Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, India; Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran; Applied Biomedical Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39647240
DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.12.004

Abstract

This opinion paper aims to discuss the influence of semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), on lean mass beyond its impact on weight loss. Although significant weight loss is achieved with semaglutide, the impact of this drug on lean mass remains controversial. Several investigations have demonstrated that semaglutide-induced weight loss is linked to decreases in lean mass as well as fat mass; on the other hand, the ratio of lean mass to total body mass rises. Nevertheless, larger clinical trials have reported converse findings and significant reductions in lean mass following treatment with semaglutide. This disparity in research findings emphasizes the necessity for additional studies on this subject because semaglutide use is rising quickly.

Keywords: Body composition; Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist; Lean mass; Semaglutide.