Muscle Mass Changes With Incretin-Based Therapies for Weight Loss

Author(s)Athena Marie Moustakas, PharmD, MS, BCACP, Cerris Chung, PharmD, BCACP, Rachel Quinn, PharmD, BCACP, AE-C, CDCES

Fact checked by: Kirsty Mackay

This review examines evidence on changes in muscle mass with incretin-based therapies and focuses on current and emerging strategies to preserve and enhance skeletal muscle mass.

Purpose: This narrative review highlights the significance of lean body mass (LBM) and skeletal muscle mass (SMM), the health implications due to a reduction in LBM, how glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) and GLP-1 RA/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptides (GIPs) affect LBM, current strategies to preserve SMM, and other pipeline therapies for preserving SMM.