Women on weight loss drug lose more weight than men, study finds

A new study found that women using the weight loss drug tirzepatide (Mounjaro) lost more weight than men, but experienced higher rates of side effects like nausea and vomiting.

A new study found that women using the weight loss drug tirzepatide, also known by its brand name Mounjaro, experienced greater weight loss than men.
Still, all doses of the medication were shown to result in weight loss in both men and women, according to the research presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Spain.
According to the European Medicines Agency, Mounjaro is a medicine used to treat adults with type 2 diabetes and to help people lose weight.
Tirzepatide is administered as a weekly injection and is approved in the EU for both the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
However, despite the drug’s effectiveness, researchers found that both men and women experienced some side effects, with higher rates among women.
The trials involved 4,677 adults (2,999 women and 1,678 men) who were overweight or obese. Some participants had type 2 diabetes, while others did not.
In the clinical trials, participants were given either tirzepatide at different doses or a placebo once a week to study the effects of the medication.
The researchers then compared the average weight loss between men and women, as well as between those who took tirzepatide and those who took the placebo.
They found that, on average, women lost more weight than men when taking tirzepatide, though weight loss was observed among all participants who took the medication.
Women also had higher odds of achieving significant weight loss, with females losing up to 24.6 per cent of their body weight, compared to 18.1 per cent in men.
Moreover, similar proportions of men and women were able to lose five per cent to 15 per cent of their body weight when using tirzepatide.
Previous studies have linked similar percentages of weight loss to improvements in cardiovascular disease in adults with obesity or who are overweight.
However, the study also revealed that while both men and women experienced some side effects, women experienced more gastrointestinal issues, including nausea and vomiting.
When asked during the presentation if there is an explanation for the difference in weight loss between men and women, Dr Luis-Emilio García, lead author of the study from the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Company, said there isn’t a clear answer.
However, he hypothesised that it could be due to the differences in body fat distribution, body composition, and hormones.
He also suggested it could be due to “pharmacological differences” or the way the drugs are acting, “because there seems to be similar effects with semaglutide”.
García noted that more research is needed to better understand what drives these differences.
“This post hoc analysis underscores the consistent benefits of tirzepatide for women and men. More research is needed to understand the mechanism by which females may experience more weight reduction in these trials,” García said in a statement.