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GLP-1 receptor agonists prevent bone loss associated with weight reduction
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Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists such as Saxenda can prevent bone loss that is often tied to major weight loss, potentially reducing the risk for bone fractures, according to research in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
In a randomized control study, researchers found that Danish woman assigned the GLP-1 receptor agonist Saxenda (liraglutide, Novo Nordisk) increased bone formation by 16% after 52 weeks of daily treatment combined with a low-calorie diet and weight maintenance program.
“Liraglutide has just been approved for obesity treatment because of its appetite-inhibiting effects, but its effect on the bones of overweight patients who are not suffering from type 2 diabetes has so far been unknown,” Eva W. Iepsen, MD, a PhD student from the University of Copenhagen, said in a press release.
Iepsen and colleagues analyzed data from 37 healthy women with obesity (mean age, 46 years; mean BMI, 34 kg/m²) in an outpatient research hospital clinic in Denmark. After a 12% weight loss from an 8-week, low-calorie diet, participants were randomly assigned to 1.2 mg per day liraglutide (n = 18) or a control group (n = 19) for 52 weeks. Within the cohort, seven women in each treatment arm were postmenopausal.
Researchers used DXA to measure total, pelvic, arm and leg bone mineral content, and measured bone markers at baseline, after weight loss and at 52 weeks.
Both groups maintained the weight loss for 52 weeks with no significant weight differences between groups. Total bone mineral content decreased in the control group during the weight maintenance period by 35.8 ± 7.3 g (P < .0001). The liraglutide arm, in contrast, saw a nonsignificant decrease in total bone mineral content of 9.2 ± 7.5 g, an estimated difference of 26.6 g (95% CI, 5-48).
The control group saw a similar decrease in bone mineral content in the arm, leg and pelvic region, according to researchers, whereas the liraglutide arm had increased blood levels of bone formation markers compared with the control group.
Total body bone mineral density did not change in either group during the study period.
“The study shows that overweight women can now lose weight with liraglutide without increasing the risk of losing bone mass,” Signe S. Torekov, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen, said in a press release. “At the same time, they also achieve a number of other positive effects on their sugar metabolism, which are not achieved through a diet-induced weight loss alone.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: Torekov reports holding stock in Novo Nordisk. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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