Talk of Dr. Henning Tim Langer

Dr. Henning Tim Langer, group leader of the Muscle Wasting Laboratory at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, presented a lecture entitled “GLP-1 medicines and their effect on skeletal muscle.” The talk addressed concerns regarding potential muscle loss during pharmacologically induced weight reduction and discussed recent experimental and clinical findings on how GLP‑1–based therapies affect skeletal muscle.

The lecture showed that weight loss associated with GLP‑1 treatment is primarily driven by reductions in fat mass, while absolute losses in skeletal muscle are modest. Muscle strength and functional performance were largely maintained despite decreases in body weight. Importantly, changes in lean body mass do not necessarily reflect proportional muscle loss, as reductions in liver mass and other non‑muscle tissues contribute substantially to these measurements.

Overall, the talk emphasized that GLP‑1 therapies do not appear to cause disproportionate muscle wasting and highlighted the need for careful interpretation of body composition data when assessing muscle health during metabolic interventions.

HyperMet research examines the impact of muscle growth (hypertrophy) and muscle loss (atrophy) on metabolism. Increased muscle mass reduces the risk of obesity, diabetes, osteoporosis, and potentially cancer. We are exploring the underlying metabolic processes to develop new strategies for prevention and everyday life.