Research
Energy balance
Lean mass constituted 25%–39% of total weight lost with incretin agonists: semaglutide (35.2%), tirzepatide (25.4%), and liraglutide (26.8%).
Incretin therapies can lead to significant lean mass loss during weight reduction.
StrongSupportsmedium confidence
Lean mass constituted 25%–39% of total weight lost with incretin agonists: semaglutide (35.2% [95% CI: 31.5–38.9]), tirzepatide (25.4% [22.8–28.0]) and liraglutide (26.8% [23.1–30.5]).
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Source
Lean Mass Changes With Incretin Therapy Versus Lifestyle Intervention: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials
Naseem Eisa et al. · Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism · 2026
DOI 10.1111/dom.70666
Meta-analysisCited 2×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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- Lifestyle interventions showed comparable proportional lean mass loss (26.2%) to incretin therapies (p = 0.42 for comparison).Strong
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