Weight-loss jab users urged to train to prevent ageing

Weight-loss jab users face muscle loss comparable to “10 years of ageing” if they don’t strength train, researchers have warned.

- REBECCA WHITTAKER

Drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy not only cause rapid fat loss but lean muscle loss too - in similar levels seen following bariatric surgery, during cancer treatment or approximately 10 years of ageing.

Muscle and bone mass loss associated with weight-loss drugs may also increase frailty and risk of falls in older adults, which costs the NHS £2.3bn every year. But exercise, especially strength training, has been shown to limit muscle mass loss that accompanies significant weight loss.

It’s estimated that 2.5 million people in the UK are using weight-loss drugs. Dr Matthew Wade, interim director of Research at UKActive, a fitness nonprofit, has highlighted the risks of not exercising during treatment.