SALT LAKE CITY — It was a first-of-its-kind study conducted at the University of Utah on a drug that has, to date, changed thousands of lives. The new study focused on the impact of taking weight loss drugs in connection with muscle mass and function.
Bountiful's Risa Baker has lost 80 pounds after she began regularly taking a weight loss drug two years ago, and says she feels fitter than ever.
"Weight has been a struggle for me my entire life," Baker shared. "I’ve been addicted to sugar. I’ve had insulin resistance, blood sugar highs and lows. And for me, the experience of going on the GLP-1 has been absolutely life-changing."
Baker said she no longer thinks about food all day long; in fact, she has to remind herself to eat.
Weight loss appears to happen more rapidly and with greater magnitude with the drugs, which is why Dr. Katsu Funai, a University of Utah associate professor of nutrition and integrative physiology, studied the impact Ozempic had on muscle size and strength.
"Unlike the concerns that are out there that loss of lean mass equals loss of muscle mass, it was actually not the case. Muscle mass loss was not as great. But on the other side — muscle strength was lower." Funai explained.
In the university's study performed on mice, muscle function was reduced significantly — something Funai said could be of concern because so many who take the drugs are in a stage of life where muscle strength declines are already an issue.
"It’s important to know what we’re working with. In other words, we need to measure their muscle function, measure their physical function and then discuss with their physicians what they would like to do," said Funai.
For Baker, it meant changing her lifestyle to get the most out of her medications by hitting the gym and regular weight training.
"I actually have more muscle tone now and more strength now than before I started," she said.
Because of her weight loss and increased energy, Baker claimed her whole lifestyle has changed, posting stories on 'Restless Lisa' Instagram page featuring athletic fashion advice and workout tutorials.
"It’s way more prevalent than you’d ever realize, and I am just really open about it, because I think if something’s helping me and I can help a girlfriend, I want to tell them all about it," she shared.
In the last quarter of 2022 alone, U.S. clinicians wrote 9 million prescriptions for GLP-1 weight loss drugs. An estimated 12 percent of U.S. adults report they have taken Ozempic, with 6 percent saying they are currently on the drug.
"I am afraid to go off [the weight loss drug], I am going to start microdosing at some point soon," Baker said, "but I am glad for any study."
Researchers at the University of Utah are now calling for human studies on the weight loss drugs.
