Can We Prevent Muscle Loss While Taking GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs? With Dr. Richard Pratley

Send us Fan MailCan We Prevent Muscle Loss While Taking GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs?GLP-1 medications like Zepbound have changed the way we treat obesity. But as more people lose significant amounts of weight, another question has emerged:What happens to your muscle?It's normal to lose some lean mass—including muscle—during weight loss. But researchers are now asking whether preserving more muscle could improve long-term health, particularly as we age.In this episode, Dr. Eeks speaks with Dr. Richard Pratley, lead author of a new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial investigating whether an investigational antibody called apitegromab can help preserve lean mass in people taking tirzepatide (Zepbound).Together they discuss:• Why people lose lean mass during weight loss• What "lean mass" actually means—and why it matters• Why muscle preservation has become one of the biggest new questions in obesity medicine• How apitegromab works by blocking myostatin—a protein that acts like a brake on muscle growth• The results of the study and how much lean mass participants preserved• Why preserving lean mass doesn't automatically mean preserving strength• Whether concerns about muscle loss on GLP-1 medications have become exaggerated• The importance of resistance training and adequate protein during weight loss• Whether future obesity treatment will focus less on body weight and more on body composition• The bigger question: Are we entering an era where one medication leads to another—or is there a better path???This conversation explores one of the most interesting—and practical—questions in obesity research today: Can we lose fat without sacrificing too much muscle?Work with me? Perhaps we are a good match. Keep Causes or Cures Ad-Free with Listener SupportYou can contact Dr. Eeks at bloomingwellness.com.Follow Eeks on Instagram here.Follow on X. Or Facebook here.On Youtube.Or TikTok.SUBSCRIBE to her Newsletter here! (the bits not posted on socia media)Support the show