Can weight loss drugs eat into your muscles? Here’s how you can protect them

Understanding Weight Loss Medications

Weight nonaccomplishment medications, specified arsenic GLP-1 agonists (like semaglutide), SGLT2 inhibitors and appetite suppressants, enactment by antithetic mechanisms. GLP-1 agonists, for instance, mimic a gut hormone that regulates appetite and humor sugar, starring to reduced calorie intake. SGLT2 inhibitors, commonly utilized successful diabetes management, assistance the assemblage destruct glucose done urine, indirectly supporting value loss. Appetite suppressants people hunger centres successful the encephalon to trim nutrient intake. These medications tin pb to effectual value loss, but if not paired with muscle-preserving practices, they mightiness inadvertently accelerate musculus nonaccomplishment arsenic well.

Weight Loss and Muscle Mass

A accelerated oregon important value nonaccomplishment often includes not lone a simplification successful abdominous but besides a nonaccomplishment of thin musculus mass. This is due to the fact that musculus insubstantial is metabolically progressive and tends to beryllium utilized arsenic an vigor root erstwhile caloric intake is restricted. Skeletal muscle, successful particular, plays a captious relation successful maintaining posture, strength, and metabolic health. Reduced musculus wide tin pb to a slower metabolism, making it harder to support value nonaccomplishment implicit time. Additionally, it increases the hazard of frailty, falls, and insulin resistance, perchance offsetting immoderate of the benefits of value loss.

How to support musculus health

1. Incorporate Strength Training: Engaging successful exercises similar weightlifting, body-weight exercises, oregon absorption set workouts astatine slightest 2 to 3 times a week tin assistance support musculus wide during value loss. Resistance grooming has been shown to awesome musculus macromolecule synthesis, which counteracts the musculus nonaccomplishment that tin travel value reduction.
2. Prioritise Protein Intake: Aiming for a regular macromolecule intake of astir 1.2–2 grams per kilogram of assemblage value is mostly recommended for those looking to sphere muscle. Spreading macromolecule intake passim the day, including a root of macromolecule with each meal, is beneficial for musculus health.
3. Incorporate Regular Physical Activity: Aerobic activity, flexibility exercises and equilibrium grooming lend to wide carnal wellness and musculus preservation. High-intensity interval grooming (HIIT) and low-impact activities similar swimming oregon cycling tin assistance pain calories portion being gentler connected musculus insubstantial than aggravated prolonged cardio sessions.
4. Monitor Nutrient Intake: Muscle wellness needs assorted nutrients, including vitamin D, calcium, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Vitamin D supports musculus relation portion Omega-3s, recovered successful fatty food and immoderate works sources, person anti-inflammatory properties that whitethorn assistance successful musculus preservation.

Do each of these successful consultation with a healthcare supplier truthful that periodic evaluations with tools similar assemblage creation analyses tin archer you astir abdominous and musculus organisation changes. A higher muscle-to-fat ratio boosts basal metabolic complaint (BMR), meaning much calories are burnt astatine rest. This tin forestall the metabolic slowdown often seen aft value loss, making it easier to support a steadfast value sustainably.

(Dr Chatterjee is elder consultant, Internal Medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi)