Weight-loss medications in the GLP-1 class help many people lose tremendous amounts of weight and other health benefits for people with obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart failure, but long-term health benefits were less clear until a study from the University of Virginia Health System. Researchers found GLP-1 drugs fail to provide key long-term health benefits without additional intervention, such as nutrition supplements. Some patients felt they were losing muscle while on the weight-loss drugs. That makes sense because weight loss includes both fat and muscle. Authors of the study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism urge patients to talk to their healthcare provider about ways to preserve muscle mass.