GLP-1s fixing knees?!

This gives me yet another reason to stay on my GLP1. Here's my current list, in no particular order:

1. Lower A1C.
2. Better cholesterol numbers.
3. Less joint pain from arthritis.
4. Almost zero cravings for sweets.
5. Lowered visceral fat, according to my body composition scale.
6. Possibly reduced risk of Alzheimer's.
7. Lower risk of heart problems.
8. Healthier blood pressure.
9. Lower risk of colon cancer.
10. And of course, weight loss, which for me is just a bonus. I didn't need to lose weight, but I can't complain about how I look!

Anyone have other reasons to add?
 
I think there's a huge difference between the studies, Heal-Fam. The one you linked (funded by Novo) links weight loss to OA improvement. That's not surprising because everyone always says that for every pound you lose, you take about 4 pounds of pressure off your knees. So weight loss = less pain.

The new study seems to connect GLP-1s to things we don't fully understand. I'm in the middle of all of this, so I'm following closely. Last year, we saw impact to heart issues beyond what weight loss could explain. This one suggests OA relief beyond weight loss and cartilage improvement that we haven't seen before.
 
I've been on this for around 9 months now, and I've lost about 50 pounds. My BMI went under 26 recently. My body fat dropped from 26% to 18.5%, and I gained muscle at the same time.

Here's what's happened:

* Sleep Apnea - No more CPAP
* Afib - No more meds
* OA - No pain or weakness, just a little creaking in one knee when I climb stairs.
* Binge drinking - Gone

I'm watching the studies to figure out what all the GLP receptors are connected to. It's more than just weight loss.
 
Thanks! I looked at the study again, and it wasn't the one I was thinking of. I need to find the article I was thinking about. I might have been thinking of OSA, not OA, but I thought it was both.

I remember thinking that it wasn't surprising that losing weight would improve OSA and OA symptoms. I also wondered how the researchers could figure out how much of the effect was from weight loss and how much wasn't.
 
Agreed 100%! When I read the earlier study and realized Novo funded it, my first thought was, "Well, duh!" They could have funded a study showing that GLP1s make your pants smaller!
 
Yeah, tirz has been shown to have strong anti-inflammatory effects for a while now. I think a lot of us just assume the pain relief is from the magical weight loss, but GLPs have other benefits for us older folks with arthritis too.
 
The way it works, according to this Cell paper, is pretty cool! GLP-1 receptors are all over the place, not just in the pancreas and gut. The study shows that chondrocytes have GLP-1 receptors, which means your Tirz/Sema/Reta can work right on cartilage cells. It's more about reducing inflammation than speeding up metabolism.
 
I'm really interested in the arthritis pain relief! I don't need to lose weight either, so I'm scared I'll lose too much or something, but these benefits are amazing. My knees have been bad since I was a teen, and they've only gotten worse. Which one did you take for those benefits, DropPath282?
 
Can I ask why you're switching? Most people go the other way, from Tirz to Reta. The Phase 3 data on Reta and osteoarthritis looked amazing.
 
This study is awesome and has big implications. The big question is whether stopping glp1s makes you lose the benefits that aren't related to weight loss.

If a follow-up study shows that, it could mean that glp1s should be a permanent treatment for osteoarthritis, even if you reach your weight goal.
 
The study used mice with OA and thinks glp1 protects them by activating something in chondrocytes. If chondrocytes have glp1 receptors, then any drug that activates glp1 should activate the same thing and give the same benefits.
 
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