Effects of GLP-1 analogs combined with physical exercise on total body mass in Individuals with obesity: a systematic review

The literature lacks comprehensive evidence integrating results aiming to assess the combined effects of physical exercise and pharmacological therapy on body mass reduction. Therefore, this review aims to analyze the effects of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analogs, specifically liraglutide and semaglutide, combined with physical exercise on changes in body mass among patients with obesity. This systematic literature review is registered in PROSPERO (International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews) under ID: CRD42023454783. Searches were conducted between September and October 2023, with no restriction on publication year and language, on the following databases: Medline via PubMed; Semantic Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and Embase. Nine articles involving 4,236 participants with obesity (with or without diabetes) were included. The participants were aged between 18 and 65 years and had a BMI over 27 kg/m2, being treated with liraglutide or semaglutide. Liraglutide was increased to 3.0 mg, and semaglutide to 2.4 mg. The combination of liraglutide and exercise led to an average weight loss of 5 kg over 53 weeks. Higher doses of liraglutide and semaglutide effectively reduce total body mass in individuals with obesity. Combining GLP-1 analogs with physical exercise enhances these weight loss outcomes.