Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes has also enabled obese patients to lose weight after more than a year of treatment. This is the result of a clinical trial conducted at Yale University.
Obese Man
Read Also: University of South Australia: Brains of Obese People Struggle to Adapt and Learn New Things
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 13% of the world’s population suffers from obesity (BMI over 30), or over 600 million people. Although weight does not necessarily reflect a person’s health status, obesity is known to contribute to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and other health problems that can shorten life expectancy.
A drug already approved to treat type 2 diabetes, Tirzepatide, helped participants in a clinical trial conducted by Yale University physicians lose significant weight. The drug was tested at three different doses – 5, 10, and 15 mg – and injected once a week for 72 weeks. All 2,500 patients were overweight, with an average weight of 104 kilos, and had at least one weight-related complication. Diabetics were excluded from the study, but patients with prediabetes were included.
Read Also: Green Tea Can Help Obese People Lose Weight According to Study
Participants treated with 5 mg of Tirzepatide lost an average of 15% of their body mass at the end of 72 weeks, while those receiving 10 and 15 mg lost 19.5 and 20.9% of their body mass, respectively. This compared to only 3% in the placebo groups. On average, Tirzepatide reduced participants’ body fat by 33.9 percent, improving the ratio of fat to lean body mass and bringing it closer to that achieved through exercise and dietary weight loss strategies or surgery.
In addition to reducing body mass, Tirzepatide was able to return blood glucose levels to normal in pre-diabetic patients. This may reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and type 2 diabetes.
Read Also: Obesity: Taking Prednisone Once a Week Could Help with Weight Loss
In terms of side effects, Tirzepatide caused gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea, and constipation of mild to moderate severity. Eleven people died during the clinical trial, in both the placebo and treatment groups. While the clinical trial ran from December 2019 to April 2022, more participants on Covid-19 died, while others suffered pulmonary embolisms, strokes, or heart failure. These deaths do not appear to be directly related to the medication. More results are needed before Tirzepatide can be approved for the treatment of obesity.
References
Tirzepatide Once Weekly for the Treatment of Obesity
FEEDBACK:
