Impact of Tirzepatide on diet-related quality of life and treatment satisfaction in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a retrospective cross-sectional study

AIMS: To explore how Tirzepatide (TZP) treatment influences diet-related quality of life (QoL) and thus treatment satisfaction. METHODS: This retrospective observational study analyzed 95 people with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with TZP. We evaluated measurements before and after TZP treatment for clinical parameters (including BMI and HbA1c) and, via validated questionnaires, patient-reported treatment satisfaction and diet-related QoL (including the Diabetes Diet-Related Quality of Life-Revised 9 (DDRQOL-R-9)). We used Spearman correlations and multiple regression analyses to identify predictors of treatment satisfaction. RESULTS: TZP treatment led to significant reduction of median HbA1c (7.4 % to 6.4 %) and body weight (77.2 kg to 70.6 kg). Median diet-related QoL, specifically the "perceived merits of dietary therapy", increased from 58.3 [IQR 50.0, 75.0] to 67.7 [50.0, 83.3] (p < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis identified changes in BMI (standardized β = - 0.21, p = 0.030) and changes in diet-related QoL "perceived merits of dietary therapy" (β = 0.23, p = 0.019) as independent predictors of DTSQs scores post-TZP treatment. CONCLUSION: Despite TZP's appetite-suppressing effects, diet-related QoL, particularly the "perceived merits of dietary therapy", significantly increased with treatment, serving as an independent and substantial contributor to patient satisfaction, comparable to the impact of body weight reduction.