Mounjaro May Lead to Greater Lean Body Mass Loss than Ozempic. Here's Why

Research shows that Ozempic may preserve lean body mass better than Mounjaro. Image Credit: Iuliia Burmistrova/Getty Images. A recent study found that semaglutide medications, such as Ozempic, may better preserve lean body mass than tirzepatide medications, such as Mounjaro. This may be due in part to tirzepatide leading to more significant weight loss. The findings show that maintaining a strength-training routine may help reduce muscle loss when using GLP-1s. GLP-1 drugs have exploded in popularity due to their ability to promote significant weight loss. This class of medications has helped transform the way healthcare professionals treat obesity. Semaglutide medications, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, and tirzepatide medications, such as Mounjaro and Zepbound, are the most popular GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. A study recently published in medRxiv has shown that while tirzepatide appears to lead to greater weight loss, there may be a trade-off of a higher loss of lean body mass than semaglutide. Lean body mass includes muscle, connective tissue, and other essential components that support metabolism, strength, and overall physical function. This study is a preprint and has not yet been peer-reviewed in a scientific journal, but here’s what the researchers found. Mounjaro led to 2% higher loss of lean body mass The study examined 7,965 individuals who were newly initiating a GLP-1 medication. Of these, 6,196 were using semaglutide, and 1,769 were using tirzepatide. The researchers measured each participant’s lean body mass before and after beginning their first prescription of either semaglutide or tirzepatide. They found that those on tirzepatide consistently showed a greater loss of lean body mass. People on tirzepatide lost about 1.1% more lean body mass than those using semaglutide in the first 3 months of using the medications. This increased to 2% more lean body mass loss by 12 months. “This finding is not entirely surprising. Tirzepatide is generally more p