Changes in Muscle Strength Following Semaglutide Treatment in Adults: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis of Handgrip Strength
- Design
- Meta-analysis · 660 participants · Intermediate outcome
- Match to healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75
- Population unclearUNKNOWN: a meta-analysis of adults treated with semaglutide whose abstract gives no age, BMI or diabetes data for the pooled participants; there is no cached full text.
- Could weight loss explain it?
- UnlikelyThe pooled handgrip change was nonsignificant, so there is no effect to attribute to weight change (null-result boundary). The abstract reports no weight or HbA1c change and no mediation analysis.
- Study tier
- Study tier 4VERY_LOW: although it pools, the primary synthesis pools only uncontrolled before-after changes from semaglutide arms, with no comparator; that is pooled case-series evidence, which the model rates VERY_LOW, as it rates an uncontrolled study of treated users (IN-063). Heterogeneity was substantial (I2 = 90.8%) and the authors rate certainty very low.
- Assessment
- Version 3 · Two independent AI reviews agreed · Nov 11, 2026
Study facts come from the paper. Population match, weight-loss explanation and study tier are our judgments, made against the reference group of healthy normal-weight adults aged 55–75.
This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled handgrip strength measured before and after semaglutide in 660 treated adults from ten studies, with no untreated comparison group. Average handgrip strength did not change significantly (-0.16 kgf), but the studies disagreed widely and the authors rate the certainty very low. Because people were compared only with themselves, the result cannot show whether semaglutide preserves or reduces strength.
01Findings
What the study reported
- Drugs
- Semaglutide
- Comparator
- none: pooled uncontrolled within-group changes in semaglutide-only arms
- Primary outcome
- within-group change in handgrip strength from baseline to the longest available follow-up (pooled)
- Effect
- pooled within-group handgrip strength change -0.16 kgf, not significant (I2 = 90.8%; 95% prediction interval -5.96 to 5.63 kgf); duration-stratified and sensitivity analyses also nonsignificant; individual study findings heterogeneous; no comparator
- 95% confidence interval
- 95% confidence interval: -1.98 to 1.65
- Follow-up
- Not stated
- Adverse events
- not reported in abstract
- Limitations
- The main pooled result rests on uncontrolled within-group changes with substantial heterogeneity and very low certainty, so it cannot show a treatment effect; knee extension strength came from one small trial and was summarised only descriptively.
Who was studied
- Obesity status
- not reported in abstract
- Diabetes status
- not reported in abstract
- Cvd status
- not reported in abstract
- Ckd status
- not reported in abstract
- Baseline condition
- not reported in abstract
- Sample size
- 660
- Inclusion exclusion
- adults treated with semaglutide with quantitative muscle strength outcomes; randomized, non-randomized and uncontrolled before-after studies
Study quality details
- Study design
- Meta-analysis
- Sample size
- 660
- Randomization
- n/a
- Blinding
- n/a
- Comparator
- none: pooled uncontrolled within-group changes in semaglutide-only arms
- Follow up duration
- not stated
- Outcome type
- intermediate
- Replication
- not assessed
- Consistency with other evidence
- not assessed
- Population applicability
- UNKNOWN
- Statistical precision
- CI reported: 95% confidence interval: -1.98 to 1.65
- Risk of bias
- not assessed
- Peer review status
- yes
02Funding
Funding and conflicts
- Funding
- not reported in abstract
- Industry funded
- Unclear
- Manufacturer
- not stated in source
- Sponsor role
- not reported in abstract
- Author conflicts
- not reported in abstract
- Independent replication
- unknown
Funding is shown on every study and never used to score it.
03Claims
Claims this study bears on
- GLP-1-induced weight loss causes clinically meaningful loss of muscle mass or function.Doesn't directly test the claim
Meta-analysis of before-and-after handgrip strength in 660 semaglutide-treated adults from ten studies, with no comparison group: pooled change -0.16 kgf (95% confidence interval: -1.98 to 1.65), I2 = 90.8%, certainty very low. The authors say the evidence is insufficient to determine whether semaglutide is associated with changes in handgrip strength.
04Source
The source, as retrieved
Abstract
[AIMS] To systematically review and quantitatively synthesize within-group changes in skeletal muscle strength following semaglutide treatment in adults. [MATERIALS AND METHODS] This PRISMA 2020 systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251185935). MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, LILACS and Google Scholar were searched through 20 August 2026, without language restrictions. Eligible studies included adults treated with semaglutide reporting quantitative skeletal muscle strength outcomes, including handgrip and knee extension strength. Randomized, non-randomized and uncontrolled before-after studies were included. The primary meta-analysis pooled within-group changes in handgrip strength from baseline to the longest available follow-up of semaglutide-only arms using a random-effects model. Knee extension strength was summarized descriptively. [RESULTS] Sixteen reports represented eleven studies, all assessing handgrip strength; one small randomized trial also assessed knee extension strength. Ten studies (660 semaglutide-treated participants) contributed to the primary meta-analysis of uncontrolled within-group changes, showing a nonsignificant pooled handgrip strength change (-0.16 kgf; 95% confidence interval: -1.98 to 1.65), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 90.8%) and a 95% prediction interval from -5.96 to 5.63 kgf. Duration-stratified and sensitivity analyses were also nonsignificant. Individual study findings were heterogeneous. Certainty was very low. [CONCLUSIONS] Available evidence is insufficient to determine whether semaglutide is associated with changes in handgrip strength because the principal synthesis was based on uncontrolled within-group changes, with very low certainty and significant heterogeneity. These findings do not establish strength preservation or a causal treatment effect. More robust comparative studies with standardized strength assessment and longer follow-up are needed.
Where this record came from
| Source | Retrieved | Identifier |
|---|---|---|
| pubmed | Nov 11, 2026 | 42897109 first ingestion |