Combination Therapy
Dr. Blüher and Dr. Joisten agreed that the combined prescription and use of exercise and incretin-based medications yields the best results for relevant endpoints such as weight loss and blood sugar control.
For example, data from the Lundgren study mentioned previously showed that participants in the combination group with liraglutide plus exercise lost an average of 9.5 kg of body weight. In addition, the A1c level, insulin sensitivity, and cardiorespiratory fitness of the participants in the combination group improved significantly over the course of the study.
The suggestion of an interval therapy (alternating between exercise and injections) enjoyed widespread approval during the audience discussion. Dr. Kress also supported the idea of interval therapy with incretin-based injections because it minimizes costs and could enhance insurance companies’ acceptance of this therapy.
But exercise should not be interrupted, he said, and perhaps patients would not want to take breaks either, hoping that “once someone has lost weight (for example, even under injection therapy) they gain new motivation to move and achieve more.”
This story was translated from the Medscape German edition using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication. A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.