Tirzepatide vs. Semaglutide: A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has compared two popular weight loss injections, tirzepatide and semaglutide, in adults who are obese but do not have diabetes. The results were clear: tirzepatide outperformed semaglutide in terms of weight loss.
Health Desk | Updated on 14th May – 21:24 IST
Study Overview
The study followed 700 participants who were either overweight or obese, with a BMI over 30 or 27 with weight-related conditions. None of the participants had diabetes. The researchers tested tirzepatide (15 mg weekly) and semaglutide (2.4 mg weekly) to see how much weight and waist size participants could lose over the course of 72 weeks.
Key Findings
The results showed that those who used tirzepatide lost an average of 26.6% of their body weight, which is approximately 26.3 kg (58 pounds). On the other hand, semaglutide users lost about 18.4% of their body weight, or 18.4 kg (40 pounds). This means tirzepatide helped people lose 8.2% more weight than semaglutide.
In terms of waist size reduction, tirzepatide led to a decrease of 19.4 cm from the waist, while semaglutide users lost about 13.3 cm. This suggests that tirzepatide is not only more effective at helping people lose weight but also better at reducing belly fat, which can improve overall health.
Side Effects
Both medications were well tolerated, with mild gastrointestinal side effects like nausea, diarrhea, and constipation being the most common. However, these side effects were usually temporary and went away over time. While more people on tirzepatide stopped treatment due to side effects, both drugs were deemed safe for use in this study.
Summary of the study
This study confirms that tirzepatide is a more effective option than semaglutide for weight loss in obese adults without diabetes. However, these medications should always be taken under the guidance of a healthcare provider.
Source: The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, and you can read the full research here:
New England Journal of Medicine – Full Study
PubMed – Study Summary
Bhavesh Gaikwad
Content Editor – MedicoDrive.com
Bhavesh Gaikwad is a highly experienced content editor and health writer with over 10 years of expertise in the field of digital health journalism. At MedicoDrive.com, he leads the creation of medically accurate, trustworthy, and reader-focused content covering a wide range of topics, including medical tips, healthy living, disease awareness, world health news, and new drug research and medical studies.