Effect of Semaglutide on Physical Function, Body Composition, and Biomarkers of Aging in Older Adults With Overweight and Insulin Resistance: Protocol for an Open-Labeled Randomized Controlled Trial

What Was Tested

Researchers studied Semaglutide in the context of insulin resistance, prediabetes & type 2 diabetes in this clinical study publication.

This study aims to compare the effects of lifestyle counseling with and that without semaglutide on body composition, physical function, and biomarkers of aging in older adults.

Why It Was Studied

Semaglutide is a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist that has been approved for T2DM and chronic weight management.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 20 adults taking part.

PubMed indexes the participants as older adults, both men and women.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized and open-label.

The adults were allocated by chance, so the Semaglutide group and the comparison group should start out alike.

Being open-label, the Semaglutide study did not mask who received what.

This is an open-label randomized controlled trial.

Their primary outcomes include changes in lean mass, physical function, and biomarkers of aging.

Body composition is measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and includes total fat mass and lean mass.

Physical function is measured by 6-minute walk distance, grip strength, and short physical performance battery.

Biomarkers of aging are measured in blood, skeletal muscle, and abdominal adipose tissue to include C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factors α, and β galactosidase staining.

What Was Measured

PubMed files the paper under topics including Aging, Biomarkers, Body Composition, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Glucagon-Like Peptides, Hypoglycemic Agents and Insulin Resistance.

The authors tagged it with the keywords biomarkers of aging, lean body mass, physical function and semaglutide.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized and open-label study of Semaglutide in 20 adults in people with insulin resistance, prediabetes & type 2 diabetes.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 3 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2024 (JMIR research protocols), a journal based in Canada.

More context: the Semaglutide compound page, Insulin resistance, prediabetes & type 2 diabetes research.