on PinterestA new study found that semaglutide benefits extend beyond weight loss by easing osteoarthritis symptoms.
on PinterestA new study found that semaglutide benefits extend beyond weight loss by easing osteoarthritis symptoms. Tatsiana Volkava/Getty Images
- A new study reports that GLP-1 semaglutide medications may help reverse the effects of osteoarthritis in the joints.
- The researchers say the drugs accomplish this by repairing tissue damage by reprogramming cells that maintain healthy cartilage.
- Experts say weight loss is the most effective strategy to combat osteoarthritis, but regular exercise and a healthy diet can also help.
Researchers report that a specific type of GLP-1 weight loss medication may help reverse tissue damage in people with osteoarthritis.
A new study published on March 3 in Cell Metabolism found that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which contain the active ingredient semaglutide, can help ease the effects of osteoarthritis on joints.
The findings suggest that the benefits go beyond weight loss, which, in itself, can ease osteoarthritis by reducing pressure on joints.
The researchers say that semaglutide drugs help repair tissue damage by reprogramming the metabolism of cells that synthesize and maintain healthy cartilage. This allows cartilage to generate more energy.
“This work not only highlights the potential off-target effect of semaglutide as an effective drug to treat metabolic osteoarthritis but also reveals a weight loss-independent repair mechanism that targets metabolic pathways and mediators essential to cartilage repair under osteoarthritis conditions,” the study authors wrote.
“This may lead to new strategies to develop disease-modifying therapies for osteoarthritis,” they continued.
Matthew Baker, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University in California, said the study, although limited in size and scope, does provide a hypothesis for future breakthroughs. Baker wasn’t involved in the study.
“Most current therapies target symptoms such as pain rather than the underlying structural drivers of disease,” Baker told Healthline. “As a result, truly disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs have remained elusive despite decades of research.”
How weight loss drugs can ease osteoarthritis
There are two basic types of the new generation of weight loss medications, known as GLP-1 drugs, that are prescribed for weight loss and type 2 diabetes treatment.
One group contains the active ingredient tirzepatide. The medications sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound are among them.
The other group contains the active ingredient semaglutide. The medications sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy are among them.
Both types of GLP-1 drugs have proven to be effective in helping people lose weight by using mechanisms that help suppress appetite.
Losing weight is considered one of the best ways to help reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis, especially in the knee joints. It works by reducing pressure on joint cartilage and lowering inflammation.
In their new study, researchers said they wanted to determine whether the reduction in osteoarthritis symptoms with GLP-1 drugs extended beyond weight loss.
They first experimented with an animal model, examining obese mice with osteoarthritis. Some of the mice were treated with semaglutide drugs while others weren’t. The researchers reported that both groups lost similar amounts of weight, but the semaglutide mice received better cartilage protection.
The results were due to a complicated metabolic pathway that affects how various cells
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