Assessment of Changes in Body Composition After 3 Months of Dulaglutide Treatment

Abstract

Background Changes in body composition accompanied by glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) induced weight loss have drawn much attention. However, fewer studies have reported body composition changes in patients receiving dulaglutide therapy in Chinese population. Methods A total of 70 overweight/obese type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients who received dulaglutide therapy were included. Clinical data were collected. Visceral fat area (VFA) and body composition were also measured. Changes in clinical indicators and body composition of patients before and after intervention were also analyzed. Correlation analysis and multiple linear regression model were used to evaluate the association between hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) and body composition. Results The results showed that body weight (BW), VFA, body fat (BF), lean body mass (LBM), skeletal muscle mass (SMM) and water content were reduced after 3 months dulaglutide intervention. The lean body mass percentage (LBMP) and skeletal muscle mass percentage (SMMP) significantly increased. Moreover, there was no significant difference in bone mineral quality (BMQ) after the intervention. The multiple linear regression model revealed that the % change in BF was independently associated with % change in HbA1c (β = 0.449, t = 3.148, p=0.002). Conclusion These results indicate that dulaglutide intervention does not cause muscle and bone mass loss while inducing weight loss, and % change in BF was independently associated with improved glucose control during dulaglutide therapy. This study offers some positive results to support the clinical application of dulaglutide.

Assessment of Changes in Body Composition After 3 Months of Dulaglutide Treatment [Response to Letter]

“…We thank Panjaitan et al for their thoughtful and constructive comments on our recent report about dulaglutide. 1 We really appreciate the interesting highlights they have summarized.…”

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We thank Panjaitan et al for their thoughtful and constructive comments on our recent report about dulaglutide. 1 We really appreciate the interesting highlights they have summarized.We agree with the author that a dose-escalation experimental design is needed to allow patients to tolerate the adverse effects of the drug and to compare the efficacy of the drug at different doses. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved 4 doses (0.75 mg, 1.5 mg, 3 mg, and 4.5 mg) of dulaglutide for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in adults.

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Assessment of Changes in Body Composition After 3 Months of Dulaglutide Treatment [Letter]

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The recently published article by Chen et al entitled "Assessment of changes in body composition after 3 months of dulaglutide treatment" was read and reviewed by us due to the interesting topic and it provided discussion with a broad perspective. 1 As also stated in the article, dulaglutide is a weekly dose of a long-acting glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) which works in a glucose-dependent way to stimulate insulin secretion and reduce glucagon levels in both fasting and postprandial stage. 2 Since 2015, a weekly dosage of 0.75 mg has been licensed in Japan for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

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