Name: What to know about GLP-1 drugs and muscle loss
Uploaded: 2025-12-06T02:59:52.720Z
Duration: 3 min 57 s
Description: A recent KFF poll revealed that one in eight adults in the U.S. is currently taking a GLP-1 weight loss drug. As more people start using them, some are talking about the unexpected side effects, including muscle loss and weakness.

A recent KFF poll revealed that one in eight adults in the U.S. is currently taking a GLP-1 weight loss drug. As more people start using them, some are talking about the unexpected side effects, including muscle loss and weakness.

Washington

A recent poll indicates that one in eight adults in the United States are using GLP-1 weight loss drugs, with increasing reports of muscle loss and weakness among users. Medical professionals have been aware of these side effects, but the information is only now reaching the broader public as usage rises.

Experts suggest that muscle loss and weakness may result from reduced calorie intake and decreased activity while on these medications. To help prevent these issues, clinicians recommend a high-protein diet and regular strength training, highlighting that medication alone cannot replace healthy lifestyle habits.

What to know about GLP-1 drugs and muscle loss

A recent poll from KFF revealed that one in eight adults in the U.S. are currently taking a GLP-1 weight loss drug and as more people start using them, some are talking about the unexpected side effects including muscle loss and weakness. According to Vox, patients using GLP-1 drugs described experiencing extreme weakness while trying to lose weight. So what do people need to know? Dylan Scott, a senior correspondent with Vox, joins me now. So Dylan, you wrote about people on these weight loss drugs, the fatigue, the weakness they weren't expecting that came with it. How common was that and did you find out why it was happening? Yeah, so this is something that clinicians and doctors have known about for a while, but I don't think it's something that's really penetrated to the broader public, especially as you say more and more people are starting to take them. So I spoke with doctors and experts to understand what was going on, but the most interesting thing to me was hearing people's personal stories. And if you search some of the internet forums while GLP-1 patients get together, swap tips, talk about their experiences, I found dozens upon dozens of examples of people who said they experienced surprising muscle loss and weakness. And there were two people in particular who stuck out to me who I think kind of capture the spectrum here. There was one person who, from what they said, clearly had not been a healthy eater, didn't really have a exercise routine, but there was somebody in their early 30s who said that they had trouble walking up the stairs after being on one of these drugs for a while. And on the other end of the spectrum, there was somebody who described themselves as a CrossFit enthusiast, a healthy eater, who nevertheless was like, I feel flabby. I feel like I'm losing strength. What is going on? And so I would like to be clear that I think I understand why people are excited about these drugs. They are remarkably effective in helping people lose weight. And with some of their other properties, like anti-inflammation, they can be able to treat a wide variety of medical conditions. But there's no such thing as a magic pill. There's no drug that you can take that's going to give you exactly the body that you want without you having to put any effort into it. And I think that that's a message that people need to hear if they're going to make the most out of these exciting new medications. Well, way to be a Debbie Downer. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. Is there a way to stave this off? I mean, you also talked to clinicians and health experts about the right way to take these drugs. Yeah. And trust me, I feel that way half of the time. But yes, I talked to some experts, including researchers who have tried through animal models and other experimental means to understand why does this happen? And it does seem like a big part of it, which makes total sense when you stop and think about it, is that just that people are eating less, therefore they have less fuel, less energy to do things, and therefore they feel weaker. And so some of this is the actual loss of muscles, but some of this may also be that people are just not eating enough to have their normal level of activity. So the best way to try to combat this is a combination of two things, and it's the oldest advice in the book. It's try to eat healthy, high-protein, low-sugar, low-fat diets, and you've got to exercise. You've got to move. You've got to try especially to do strength training to make sure that your muscles don't start to shrink or become weaker. So that can be 150 minutes a week for moderate exercise, walking, swimming, something like that, maybe 75 minutes a week if it's more rigorous. But good diet, good exercise, make sure that you're doing some kind of strength training. That should allow people to hopefully guard against experiencing unexpected weakness and being freaked out by what's happening to their bodies when they're on these drugs. All right, Dylan Scott, thank you.

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