The Role of Grip Strength Measurements for GLP-1 Administration

GLP-1-based therapies are central to managing type 2 diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular risk. They work by replicating the effects of the naturally occurring hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which helps regulate blood sugar levels and appetite.

They are increasingly used across a broad range of patients, including older adults and those with advanced metabolic disease. While these medications are highly effective for weight loss and metabolic control, emerging research shows that changes in muscle health are complex and not yet fully understood.

Some studies show reductions in lean mass and grip strength, especially in older adults and those with pre-existing conditions, who may be more vulnerable to sarcopenia. Other evidence suggests GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) may protect against muscle loss by improving insulin sensitivity and reducing fat infiltration in muscle.

The impact may also depend on complementary factors such as baseline fitness, nutritional status, and exercise habits. Trials combining GLP-1s with structured exercise preserved muscle mass and improved outcomes even after discontinuation.

Millions of people are expected to take these drugs long-term. Therefore, there is growing consensus that more objective, accessible ways to measure muscle health beyond just lean mass and body composition are urgently needed.

Research into the Impact of GLP-1 Medicines on Muscle Health

GLP-1s are effective for obesity treatment and demonstrate weight reduction, weight maintenance, and reduced morbidity and mortality. These medications are approved by the FDA for several relevant treatments including for obesity.

They reduce body weight by 5% to 18% in trials, but challenges include gastrointestinal side effects, nutritional deficiencies due to calorie reduction, as well as muscle and bone loss (Nutritional priorities to support GLP-1 therapy for obesity; Mozaffarian et al., 2025).

One study found that type 2 diabetic patients treated with GLP-1RAs are a high risk group of falling compared with patients treated without them (Novel Approach to Sarcopenia in Diabetic Patients Treated with GLP-1 Receptor Agonists (GLP-1RA); Ikejima et al., 2018). The authors highlight the need for caution in terms of sarcopenia and frailty associated in weight loss and muscle atrophy.

Find out more about Falls Risk and how Able Assess can help you track it:

FALLS RISK SCREENING

In some studies, reductions in lean mass ranged between 40- 60% as a proportion of total weight lost by patients (Changes in lean body mass with glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies and mitigation strategies; Neeland et al., 2024).

For future research on GLP-1-based and other therapies designed for weight loss, the authors recommend that it should focus on more accurate and meaningful assessments of muscle mass, composition, as well as function, mobility or strength. This will better define their impact on muscle health for the millions of people expected to take these drugs long-term.

Measuring Grip Strength Tracks GLP-1 Associated Muscle Health Decline

Able Assess provides a unique opportunity to fill this gap, offering clinicians and researchers a remote, scalable, and functionally meaningful measure of muscle strength. It is essential for supporting long-term safety, personalization, and success of GLP-1 therapy. Grip strength is emerging as a powerful biomarker for tracking GLP-1 associated muscle health decline.

Designed to unlock the full potential of grip strength as a vital health biomarker, the Able Assess grip strength platform is the only one purpose-built to deliver data-driven insights into functional health. It empowers clinicians to identify risk earlier, track change over time, and monitor response to interventions with a level of precision traditional tools can’t match.

Able Assess uses a state-of-the-art sensor, intuitive mobile app, and secure clinician web portal. Read our hand dynamometer guide for all you need to know about how to measure grip strength.

Grip strength measurement with Able Assess can support:

Baseline-to-longitudinal tracking of muscle strength loss or preservation throughout therapy
Early identification of patients who may need exercise or nutrition support
Risk stratification in older or pre-frail patients considering GLP-1 initiation
Future research and clinical trials to assess the balance between fat loss and functional muscle preservation
Evaluation of combination therapies aiming to prevent or reverse sarcopenia alongside GLP-1 -based treatment

Grip strength as a Biomarker for Metabolic Diseases

Low grip strength has been identified as a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes, even among healthy individuals and those with prediabetes. People with diabetes, particularly in midlife and older age, tend to have lower grip strength, faster muscle decline, and higher rates of sarcopenia.

Additionally, the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 (EWGSOP2) includes grip strength as a core diagnostic marker for sarcopenia, reflecting combined declines in muscle and bone health that increase risk of frailty and functional loss. Many studies have also demonstrated that lower grip strength is associated with a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome among older adults.

Grip strength monitors the impact of interventions across a range of metabolic conditions. Read our dedicated guide for more details on grip strength as a biomarker for metabolic diseases.

Able Assess: Providing Reliable Grip Strength Measurements for GLP-1 Administration

Designed to unlock the full potential of grip strength as a vital health biomarker, Able Assess is the only one purpose-built to deliver data-driven insights into functional health. Tracking functional health, which is essentially an indicator for how well a body functions in daily life, is critical to addressing the rising burden of chronic diseases and an aging population.

Able Assess combines our advanced digital hand dynamometer with a comprehensive integrative platform and the most up-to-date normative dataset on the market. It empowers clinicians to identify risk earlier, track change over time, and monitor response to interventions with a level of precision traditional tools can’t match.

In addition, the Able Assess falls risk screening platform is the world’s first platform to measure four key metrics for falls risk assessments, including grip strength and the timed up and go test. It provides a standardized, scalable and low-cost solution for falls prevention.

For further reading, explore our extensive collection of studies including:

Find out how Able Assess helps Pharma and CROs to integrate grip strength into clinical research and healthcare. Partner with us in research or patient case studies to advance the knowledge of grip strength as a biomarker for a wide range of health conditions.

Contact us at hello@able-care.co for more information. We have best-in-class products for every stage of your functional health journey. To see our technology in action, book a demo.