Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about causality - if middle aged women are using GLPs, and many get osteopinia/osteoporosis after menopause anyway, is it from the GLP or would it have happened anyway?

Did you read the article? They used propensity matching. That means you take two similar people in terms of age weight etc at the starting point and then see what the chance of them developing osteoporosis is. So that isn’t it. It could be a function of the weight loss though, as most controls didn’t lose weight.

Did the propensity match for Vitamin D-25 initial study sufficiency and intake levels and calcium intake and iron levels? How about for hormone status - menopausal, premenopausal, hormone therapy, endocrine therapy? These 3 things significantly affect bone density, but aren't reflected in matching for age and weight. There's an additional twist in that there is a lot of controversy about what an adequate level of Vitamin D is - both the "sufficiency/deficiency/insufficiency" levels and the daily intake levels seem to far underestimate what is necessary for bone health and other issues.

Estrogen also definitely affects bone density so if you don't propensity match for that, it's not useful. Estrogen status, BTW, has recently been shown to significantly affect the efficacy of weight loss on GLP-1s. Menopausal women on HRT respond better than women generally (i.e. a study mix of pre and post menopausal) and women breast cancer patients on estrogen-deprivation drugs respond poorer than either group.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“About 4% of GLP-1 users developed osteoporosis, compared with a little over 3% of nonusers”.

I agree that people shouldn’t take these drugs lightly or for aesthetic reasons. But we also need to take account of the risks of obesity and weigh that in the mix.

Gout I am not worried about because it is easily treated (-and i already have it!).

Osteoporosis is a concern, but if the study is correct, there is a 1 percent chance of having it as a result of taking the drug. I will maintain my calcium intake and do weight training and hope for the best…

Most people are not taking these for obesity or diabetes. Just vanity.

NP. I took it to "only" lose 20lbs. I've always been a very healthy eater, but after 4 kids I just couldn't lose the weight. You might think it's vanity, but you should see the drastic improvement in all of my numbers on my blood work. Prediabetes gone, blood pressure the best it's ever been. I have so much energy for my family and running after my kids. I'm not a vain person.

Frankly, it's such a miracle in my life that I wonder why everyone isn't on it. Also, once I got off it I haven't had any issues whatsoever maintaining my weight. I wasn't a binge eater or an emotional eater though.

I think GLPs can fix so many mental issues that plague women, like diet culture. I also see so many people so annoyed by their bodies, sucking in stomachs, hiding behind people in pictures, pulling on their clothes, upset at themselves for eating too much, and it doesn't have to be that way. You can easily choose what weight you want to be for your height. I personally didn't want to be bony, just athletic and healthy looking. You no longer think about food and easily crave broccoli just as easy as bread. Zero cravings for sugar at night. It's just freeing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - sorry for the original paywall article. Same study is reported on here: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/glp-1s-may-increase-risk-osteoporosis-gout-new-research-finds-rcna261024

Thanks, OP. Maybe more people will believe it now that it's not from the WP.

Those people are not critical readers so probably not.

I think a lot of people don’t do what they are supposed to do on these meds. Not working out and eating protein.

Anonymous wrote:I still wonder if this drug is too good to be true. So many people just taking it to lose 20 lbs to look thinner.

This.

Anonymous wrote:“About 4% of GLP-1 users developed osteoporosis, compared with a little over 3% of nonusers”.

I agree that people shouldn’t take these drugs lightly or for aesthetic reasons. But we also need to take account of the risks of obesity and weigh that in the mix.

Gout I am not worried about because it is easily treated (-and i already have it!).

Osteoporosis is a concern, but if the study is correct, there is a 1 percent chance of having it as a result of taking the drug. I will maintain my calcium intake and do weight training and hope for the best…

It may not seem significant enough for people to take seriously; but those who already have a lot of bone/tendon issues might want to be on alert. And it's also still early. More time is needed to be able to have more long-term studies.

Anonymous wrote:OP here - sorry for the original paywall article. Same study is reported on here: https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/glp-1s-may-increase-risk-osteoporosis-gout-new-research-finds-rcna261024

Thanks, OP. Maybe more people will believe it now that it's not from the WP.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it has been obvious for a long time that many people come off these drugs looking extremely frail. That’s particularly dangerous when you are getting older. The drugs should only be used by those for whom it is absolutely necessary.

is this the WP conclusion??
no WP for me

No, it's the conclusion of the scientists who conducted the study.
A paper can be biased but credible.

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about causality - if middle aged women are using GLPs, and many get osteopinia/osteoporosis after menopause anyway, is it from the GLP or would it have happened anyway?

That is called a 'confounder' in epidemiological studies and should be controlled for. The study documents all of the factors they consider when matching their peer groups.

Anonymous wrote:I think it has been obvious for a long time that many people come off these drugs looking extremely frail. That’s particularly dangerous when you are getting older. The drugs should only be used by those for whom it is absolutely necessary.

I think what you meant to say is "The drugs should only be used under medical supervision and in combination with a healthy diet, exercise, and weight training."

Anonymous wrote:Most people on GLP1s are also menopausal. Correlation doesn't equal causation

If you had read the study or the thread then you would know better.

What about your tendons? Drugs like cipro have black box warnings for that. Here zealots not the WP
https://www.utmb.edu/utmb/blog-article/utmb-news/2026/03/09/tendon-rupture-risk-linked-with-glp-1-use-in-patients-with-obesity

Most people on GLP1s are also menopausal. Correlation doesn't equal causation

Anonymous wrote:I wonder about causality - if middle aged women are using GLPs, and many get osteopinia/osteoporosis after menopause anyway, is it from the GLP or would it have happened anyway?

Did you read the article? They used propensity matching. That means you take two similar people in terms of age weight etc at the starting point and then see what the chance of them developing osteoporosis is. So that isn’t it. It could be a function of the weight loss though, as most controls didn’t lose weight.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:“About 4% of GLP-1 users developed osteoporosis, compared with a little over 3% of nonusers”.

I agree that people shouldn’t take these drugs lightly or for aesthetic reasons. But we also need to take account of the risks of obesity and weigh that in the mix.

Gout I am not worried about because it is easily treated (-and i already have it!).

Osteoporosis is a concern, but if the study is correct, there is a 1 percent chance of having it as a result of taking the drug. I will maintain my calcium intake and do weight training and hope for the best…

Most people are not taking these for obesity or diabetes. Just vanity.

I don’t know what most people are doing. I don’t think you do either. But given that 42 percent of US adults are obese, I suspect the large majority of people taking these are in fact obese. So maybe save your judgement?