People taking weight-loss drugs have been urged to do strength training to stave off potential muscle wasting equivalent to “ten years of ageing.”
Research shows that people taking the new range of weight-loss treatments such as Mounjaro and Wegovy can lose significant amounts of lean muscle alongside fat.
The resulting reduction in strength can be especially significant for older people, putting them at risk of frailty and falls.
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Fitness experts said that more needed to be done to back up advice that those taking the medications do so alongside exercises designed to maintain their strength.
With an estimated 2.5 million people in the UK on the drugs, Dr Matthew Wade, a researcher at UKActive, a fitness non-profit that represents UK gyms, said that doctors should be clear that patients will benefit from boosting muscle mass.
“The rapid rollout of GLP-1 has shown dramatic results for patients but in order to avoid weakening the body, there are simple and effective strength exercises which are essential for sustainable results,” Wade said.
“The health and fitness sector can support people taking weight loss medications, but we want to see the government go further by working with the fitness, nutrition and pharmaceutical industries to deliver the critical wraparound support patients need.”
An evidence review published last year found that use of the drugs caused a “rapid and significant loss of lean mass,” averaging about 6kg per person — more than might be expected in a decade. The study also highlighted that this can potentially be avoided with resistance training.
This tallies with official NHS advice. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises that those using the drugs must not receive them as standalone treatments, and instead take them alongside fitness and dietary interventions.
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A report by UKActive called for gyms to work with the government to tailor programs to those taking the medications, known as GLP-1 agonists.
Bryce Hastings, head of research at Les Mills, a fitness company that worked on the report, said that exercise also helped to lessen weight gain once people stopped taking the drugs.
“More research is needed to deeper understand the relationship between weight loss medications and strength training, but the evidence and recommendations in our report are the start of the journey and offer practical next steps to better support the growing number of people taking weight loss medication,” he said.