Semaglutide may reduce muscle size, strength: Study

As semaglutide sees a surge in use, new research raises questions about the medication’s  effects on muscle health.

A study published Aug. 5 in Cell Metabolism and led by researchers at Salt Lake City-based University of Utah Health found that while mice treated with the drug lost less muscle mass than anticipated, some muscles grew weaker even when their size remained unchanged. 

The findings underscore concerns that semaglutide may reduce “lean mass,” prompting calls for clinical trials in humans to assess potential risks to muscle strength and functionality, according to an Aug. 5 news release from the health system. 

“If we want to really help the individuals who may be losing muscle mass, then we need to know that they’re actually losing muscle mass,” Katsu Funai, PhD, associate professor of nutrition and integrative physiology at the University of Utah College of Health and the senior author on the study, said in the release. “We have data in mice that suggest that things are not as straightforward as they might seem.”

In the study, semaglutide induced weight loss led to a 10% reduction in lean mass; however, much of the reduction came from organ shrinkage particularly the liver rather than skeletal muscle. 

The researchers cautioned against applying findings from the mice study directly to humans due to key physiological differences but emphasized the need for human studies to measure muscle mass.

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