The European Congress on Obesity (ECO) highlighted that GLP-1 users lose a greater proportion of muscle and bone compared to conventional dieting.
The research was developed at the University of Copenhagen, where the team analysed data from 1,334 individuals who had lost weight either with weight-loss injections, through bariatric surgery or via diet and exercise. The study found that for individuals who used exercise and diet control to reduce their size, muscle and bone loss accounted for 14% of the weight they shed, in comparison with 32% for those who used weight-loss injections.
The researchers also highlighted that people who lost a significant amount of muscle were at a heightened risk of regaining weight once they stopped utilising injections, as they outlined that muscle was more metabolically active than fat.