GLPwatch

Hypophagia and body weight loss by tirzepatide are accompanied by fewer GI adverse events compared to semaglutide in preclinical models.

Sci Adv · 2025

Last updated 2026-05-28

In animal studies, the drug tirzepatide—which activates both GLP-1 and GIP receptors—reduced food intake and body weight while causing fewer stomach-related side effects like nausea and vomiting compared to semaglutide, which only activates the GLP-1 receptor. The findings suggest that tirzepatide may improve blood sugar control and weight loss with a lower risk of common gastrointestinal issues seen with semaglutide.

AI summary of the abstract below.

JournalSci Adv, 2025
Citations5
Relative citation ratio1.84
Molecules semaglutide, tirzepatide
Conditions studied Obesity

Abstract

Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R)/glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide receptor (GIPR) agonistic analogs have yielded superior results in enhancing glycemic control and weight management compared to GLP-1R agonism alone. Intriguingly, GIPR agonism appears to induce antiemetic effects, potentially alleviating part of the nausea and vomiting side effects common to GLP-1R agonists like semaglutide. Here, we show in rats and shrews that GIPR agonism blocks emesis and attenuates other malaise behaviors elicited by GLP-1R activation while maintaining reduced food intake and body weight loss and improved glucose tolerance. The GLP-1R/GIPR agonist tirzepatide induced significantly fewer side effects than equipotent doses of semaglutide. These findings underscore the therapeutic potential of combined pharmaceutical strategies activating both incretin systems, leading to enhanced therapeutic index and reduced occurrence of nausea and vomiting for obesity and diabetes treatments.

Verbatim abstract via PubMed 40532005 ↗

Related research