It’s a battle of the sexes.
The diabetes-turned-weight-loss drug Mounjaro has been making headlines for its effectiveness at helping people shed pounds, even delivering better results than Ozempic.
And when it comes to who loses more weight on the blockbuster drug, research has found one group comes out on top.
It’s a battle of the sexes when it comes to losing weight on the blockbuster drug Mounjaro, new research suggests. tilialucida – stock.adobe.com
In a new study published in the journal Obesity, researchers found that overweight or obese women taking tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro, lost significantly more weight than men.
After 15 months of continuous treatment, women had lost 15% of their body weight, compared with nearly 11% for men.
The researchers also examined other factors that could have affect the amount of weight lost.
While participants under 45 did lose more than those over 60 — 15% in the younger group compared with 12% — age was not the strongest predictor of results.
Greater weight loss was also seen in people who didn’t have Type 2 diabetes, had never used a weight-loss medication before and took a higher dose of tirzepatide.
Women have historically had a tougher time losing weight due to lower muscle mass, hormonal shifts and differences in how the body stores fat, among other reasons.
However, other studies have also found that women tend to lose more weight than men on GLP-1s, the class of medications that includes tirzepatide and Ozempic.
Women lost 15% of their body weight on tirzepatide, compared with 11% for men, suggesting sex played a bigger role than age. Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com
In a meta-analysis of nearly 20,000 people taking drugs such as semaglutide and dulaglutide, women lost about 11% of their body weight, compared with about 7% for their male counterparts.
Once again, the researchers compared factors that could influence weight loss, including age, race, ethnicity and body mass index, and found that gender was the factor associated with the largest difference.
There are a few theories as to why women appear to have vastly different results.
One centers on how women’s bodies clear the drug from the bloodstream more slowly than men’s.
Hormones may also enhance GLP-1 effects, particularly estrogen, which helps regulate appetite, fullness, energy use and insulin sensitivity.
And the benefits of Mounjaro for women may extend beyond shrinking waistlines.
Other studies have also found that women taking GLP-1 drugs may be less likely to develop breast cancer.