Research

Hormonal

Once-weekly subcutaneous semaglutide (up to 1.0 mg) in patients with type 2 diabetes produces significant weight loss (-4.69 kg at 6 months, -5.38 kg at 12 months) and improves metabolic parameters, but this weight loss is accompanied by a significant reduction in lean body mass (over 3 kg) that requires mitigation through nutritional education and structured exercise.

If you are using once-weekly semaglutide for Type 2 Diabetes, expect to lose about 5 kg of body weight over 6-12 months, along with improvements in blood sugar and blood pressure. However, this weight loss includes a significant loss of muscle mass (over 3 kg). To counteract this, you must actively engage in resistance exercise and follow a nutrition plan that prioritizes protein, as the medication alone will not preserve your muscle.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
After 6 months from semaglutide initiation, body weight significantly decrease by -4.69 Kg... After 12 months, body weight was further reduced (-5.38 Kg)... lean mass was also significantly reduced by over 3 Kg both at 6 and 12 months... Loss of lean mass associated with weight loss warrants attention; parallel strategies to preserve skeletal muscle and improve physical function, i.e. nutritional education and structured exercise, are of great importance.
Paola Pantanetti et al. · Frontiers in Endocrinology · 2024

Why this rating

Observational, single-center, real-world study without a control group; results align with pivotal trials but lack randomization.

Source

Changes in body weight and composition, metabolic parameters, and quality of life in patients with type 2 diabetes treated with subcutaneous semaglutide in real-world clinical practice

Paola Pantanetti et al. · Frontiers in Endocrinology · 2024

DOI 10.3389/fendo.2024.1394506

cohort · n=90Cited 33×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →