Obesity Medications Deliver Major Weight Loss While Exercise Boosts Heart Health

A comprehensive review of 262 randomized trials involving nearly 100,000 adults found that the newest obesity medicines, especially tirzepatide and CagriSema, achieve the greatest weight loss. However, the most effective drugs also produced higher rates of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fatigue, treatment discontinuation, and notable loss of lean muscle tissue. Only injectable semaglutide showed clear reductions in all‑cause mortality, heart attacks and heart‑failure hospitalisations, while tirzepatide lowered heart‑failure risk; neither drug significantly reduced kidney failure.

A separate study of 130 severely obese participants compared exercise, liraglutide (a GLP‑1 drug), a combination of both, and placebo. Participants who exercised—averaging just 2½ hours per week—experienced a 6–7 % reduction in carotid‑wall thickness, improved vascular function and lower inflammatory markers, benefits not matched by medication alone. The findings suggest that, while drugs can accelerate weight loss, regular physical activity remains essential for cardiovascular health and overall wellbeing.