A recent report from the American College of Physicians Internal Medicine Meeting warned that taking GLP-1 agonists might lead to loss of muscle. These are drugs such as semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda, Victoza) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound).

The investigators reported that rapid weight loss with such medications might also lead to substantial muscle loss. This could be especially worrisome in older people if it leads to less strength and poor balance. There was a call for people on these medications to embark on extra exercise to build up strength.

Then we received this message from a reader: “I read your column about GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound leading to muscle loss. You recommended strength training. Good luck with that.

“I am going to generalize here, but many people who are taking these new GLP-1 weight loss meds are not going to exercise or monitor their diets. They rely solely on the medication.

“As a former RN married to a cardiologist, the many times he recommended diet, exercise and weight loss to help improve people’s lives and illnesses were ignored.”

Physicians have been recommending diet and exercise to help people lose weight for decades. We appreciate your husband’s advice and your perspective, but for many people, being told to eat less and exercise more is not very helpful. Here is one person’s response:

“I spent years trying to lose weight on different diets and going to the gym, sometimes four days a week, when I could afford a membership. It took me six years on a group meeting-type diet plan to lose 100 pounds.

“Then, I gained back 40 pounds when I quit the plan. Once I retired and went on Medicare, I worked out at home and tried to watch what I ate, but it never helped.

“I have Type 2 diabetes, stage 3 kidney disease and both high blood pressure and high cholesterol, all controlled with medication. I started taking Ozempic in June of 2025, prescribed by my primary care physician to lower my A1C, which had crept up to 6.7, the highest it had ever been. “Since then, I have lost 31 pounds, a little at a time, and my A1C has gone down to 5.7 at my last lab report in March 2026. I’ve been lucky, as the only side effect I’ve had has been some constipation, for which I take an over-the-counter supplement (I was already taking it due to a propensity for colon polyps, so I just had to increase the dose).

“In addition, Ozempic has made it so much easier to control the ‘food noise’ which caused me to eat things I didn’t need. My doctor increased my dosage of GLP-1 gradually, and I am now on 1 milligram per week. I may go up to 2 milligrams, but as long as I am heading in the right direction, I’m not in a hurry.

“I try to do some type of strength class twice a week and cardio or walking four to five days a week. I had some physical therapy for a shoulder problem in 2025, and the therapist told me I am strong, so I guess it hasn’t weakened me too much. I am turning 76 next month and am very happy that I started taking Ozempic. I just wish it had been available years ago.”

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 300 W. 57th Street, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”