EFFICACY OF TIRZEPATIDE ON WEIGHT LOSS, MUSCLE MASS AND CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH IN THE ADULT POPULATION WITH DIABETES TYPE 2, OVERWEIGHT OR OBESITY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

Objective: Tirzepatide is a dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist designed to assist patients with weight reduction. Aim of this article is to systematically evaluate the efficacy of tirzepatide on body weight, muscle mass, and systemic cardiometabolic parameters in adults with T2DM, overweight, or obesity. Methods: A PubMed database search for randomised clinical trials with full text in English available published within 5 years was performed. Studies covering tirzepatide’s efficacy on BMI, body composition, and cardiometabolic markers in the population of adults with T2DM or overweight, obesity were included. Results: Tirzepatide demonstrated dose-dependent weight reduction, with the 15-mg dose achieving mean losses of 20.9% to 25.3% in adults with obesity and 12.8% to 15.7% in those with T2DM [2]. BMI reductions reached up to -10.4 kg/m² [30] [33]. Body composition analyses revealed a healthy preservation of lean mass, with approximately 75% of weight loss being fat mass and 25% being lean mass [4] [21].Thigh muscle fat infiltration reduction by -0.36 to -0.48 percentage point was observed, indicating improved muscle quality [27]. Cardiometabolic benefits included HbA1c reductions (up to 2.6%) [7] [8], net blood pressure lowering (6.8 mmHg systolic; 4.2 mmHg diastolic) [18], and substantial triglyceride reductions (up to 37.6%) [16] [18]. Drug withdrawal led to weight regain and a partial-to-complete reversal of cardiometabolic improvements [15]. Conclusion: Tirzepatide assists in weight reduction and improves cardiovascular and glycemic risk factors. These effects are consistent across baseline BMI categories, though chronic maintenance is required to sustain metabolic gains.