GLP-1 Obesity Treatment Helped Women Lose 7.06 kg and Men 8.36 kg in 16 Weeks

[Financial News]  A new analysis has found that users of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) obesity treatments should monitor changes in skeletal muscle mass as well as body fat during weight loss.
In particular, skeletal muscle mass changed relatively sharply in the early stage of treatment, suggesting that the quality of weight loss should be managed based on body composition rather than body weight alone.
InBody announced on the 30th that it analyzed 38,331 data points from domestic GLP-1 obesity treatment users who underwent body composition measurements alongside their prescriptions. The analysis used data stored on the InBody Cloud server with the users' consent.
The average age of the subjects was 36.9 for women and 36.7 for men. Women accounted for 72.6% of all measurements. In addition, data from users who measured their body composition regularly at least twice made up 70.6% of the total, indicating strong demand for continued monitoring of body fat and skeletal muscle mass, not just weight, during treatment.
At the first measurement, the average body fat percentage was 37% for women and 32% for men. Both figures were above the obesity thresholds set by the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity (KSSO), which are 35% or higher for women and 25% or higher for men.
Over 16 weeks, women lost an average of 7.06 kg, while men lost an average of 8.36 kg. Compared with their initial weight, the reduction rate was 9.5% for women and 8.5% for men.
The decrease in body fat mass averaged 4.9 kg for women and 6 kg for men. Relative to initial body fat mass, the reduction rate was 17.1% for women and 18.6% for men.
However, skeletal muscle mass also declined along with body fat. Women's skeletal muscle mass fell by an average of 1.3 kg, while men's dropped by 1.4 kg.
The change in skeletal muscle mass was especially pronounced early in treatment. The most noticeable changes occurred within four weeks of the first measurement, after which the pace of change tended to slow. On the other hand, some users saw their skeletal muscle mass increase by more than 2 kg.
The analysis shows that when evaluating the effectiveness of GLP-1 obesity treatments, it is important to look at body fat and skeletal muscle mass together rather than focusing only on how much weight was lost.
Because changes in skeletal muscle mass appeared from the early stage of treatment, it is important to measure body composition regularly at the start of therapy and track each patient's individual pattern of change. Depending on those changes, there may also be a need to adjust diet and physical activity strategies under medical guidance.
An InBody official said, "The fact that 70.6% of the users analyzed were measured at least twice shows that there is demand for continuous monitoring of body composition, not just weight, during treatment," adding, "Based on objective body composition data, we will support physicians in tracking each patient's treatment progress and counseling, and we will work to create an obesity management environment that can also improve the quality of weight loss."

[email protected] Kang Jung-mo Reporter