NCT07094568

Brief Summary

This prospective cohort study investigates the effects of tirzepatide versus liraglutide on bone turnover markers and body composition in adults with class 3 obesity, characterised by Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥40 kg/m². Participants will be followed for 6 months with assessments at baseline, 3 and 6. The primary outcome is the change in bone resorption marker C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes include changes in body weight, BMI, bone mineral density (BMD), and body composition. The study aims to clarify the differential impact of weight loss achieved through tirzepatide versus liraglutide on bone metabolism and body composition in adults with obesity.

Trial Health

77
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
72

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for all trials

Timeline
8mo left

Started May 2025

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress60%
May 2025Dec 2026

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 23, 2025

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 30, 2025

Completed
1 month until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 30, 2025

Completed
1.4 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 30, 2026

Expected
Same day until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 30, 2026

Last Updated

January 21, 2026

Status Verified

January 1, 2026

Enrollment Period

1.6 years

First QC Date

June 30, 2025

Last Update Submit

January 17, 2026

Conditions

Keywords

obesitybone metabolismbody compositionlean massfree fat massfat masstirzepatideliraglutideCTXP1NP

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Change in serum CTX concentration

    Evaluation of changes in the bone resorption marker CTX at 3 months after intervention initiation in participants treated with tirzepatide versus liraglutide

    Baseline and 3 months after intervention initiation

Secondary Outcomes (4)

  • Change in body weight

    Baseline and 6 months after intervention initiation

  • Change in Body Mass Index (BMI)

    Baseline and 6 months after intervention initiation

  • Change in Bone Mineral Density (BMD)

    Baseline and 6 months after intervention initiation

  • Change in Body Composition Parameters

    Baseline and 6 months after intervention initiation

Study Arms (2)

Liraglutide

Patients with obesity receiving liraglutide (up to maximum dose of 3mg daily)

Tirzepatide

Patients with obesity receiving tirzepatide (up to dose of 10-15mg weekly)

Eligibility Criteria

Age30 Years - 65 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)
Sampling MethodNon-Probability Sample
Study Population

This study involves patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 who either present for weight loss management at endocrinology or obesity clinics, or who are referred to sleep disorder centers due to obstructive sleep apnea syndrome requiring CPAP therapy, where weight loss intervention is consequently recommended.

You may qualify if:

  • Adults aged between 30 and 65 years
  • BMI ≥40 kg/m²

You may not qualify if:

  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Liver failure
  • Heart failure
  • Malignancy coexistence
  • Previous bariatric or gastrointestinal surgery involving intestinal bypass
  • Uncontrolled hypo/hyperthyroidism
  • Uncontrolled hypo/hyperparathyroidism
  • Pregnancy and lactation
  • Recent fracture (within 2 years)
  • Rare Metabolic Bone Diseases (e.g., Paget's disease of bone, fibrous dysplasia, osteopetrosis)
  • Inflammatory arthritis
  • Medications which can affect bone markers: bone-anabolic agents, antiresorptive agents, antiandrogenic agents, vitamin K antagonists, antipsychotic agents, contraceptives, glucocorticoids (oral), methotrexate, thiazides, aromatase inhibitors etc)
  • Hemolytic anemia

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Laiko General Hospital

Athens, Attica, 11527, Greece

RECRUITING

Related Publications (36)

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  • Katsarou A, Panagiotakos D, Zafeiropoulou A, Vryonis M, Skoularigis I, Tryposkiadis F, Papageorgiou C. Validation of a Greek version of PSS-14; a global measure of perceived stress. Cent Eur J Public Health. 2012 Jun;20(2):104-9. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a3698.

  • Pappa E, Kontodimopoulos N, Niakas D. Validating and norming of the Greek SF-36 Health Survey. Qual Life Res. 2005 Jun;14(5):1433-8. doi: 10.1007/s11136-004-6014-y.

  • Tsekoura M, Billis E, Tsepis E, Lampropoulou S, Beaudart C, Bruyere O, Yilmaz O, Bahat G, Gliatis J. Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Greek Version of the SARC-F for evaluating sarcopenia in Greek older adults. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. 2020 Dec 1;20(4):505-512.

  • Denarie D, Constant E, Thomas T, Marotte H. Could biomarkers of bone, cartilage or synovium turnover be used for relapse prediction in rheumatoid arthritis patients? Mediators Inflamm. 2014;2014:537324. doi: 10.1155/2014/537324. Epub 2014 Mar 12.

  • Farup PG. Changes in bone turnover markers 6-12 months after bariatric surgery. Sci Rep. 2024 Jun 27;14(1):14844. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-65952-y.

  • Wu C, Kato TS, Pronschinske K, Qiu S, Naka Y, Takayama H, Schulze-Spate U, Cremers S, Shane E, Mancini D, Schulze PC. Dynamics of bone turnover markers in patients with heart failure and following haemodynamic improvement through ventricular assist device implantation. Eur J Heart Fail. 2012 Dec;14(12):1356-65. doi: 10.1093/eurjhf/hfs138. Epub 2012 Sep 18.

  • Woodcock A. Effects of inhaled corticosteroids on bone density and metabolism. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1998 Apr;101(4 Pt 2):S456-9. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(98)70159-9.

  • Weerasinghe DK, Hodge JM, Pasco JA, Samarasinghe RM, Azimi Manavi B, Williams LJ. Antipsychotic-induced bone loss: the role of dopamine, serotonin and adrenergic receptor signalling. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2023 May 25;11:1184550. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1184550. eCollection 2023.

  • Loncar G, Cvetinovic N, Lainscak M, Isakovic A, von Haehling S. Bone in heart failure. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2020 Apr;11(2):381-393. doi: 10.1002/jcsm.12516. Epub 2020 Feb 22.

  • Vasikaran S, Eastell R, Bruyere O, Foldes AJ, Garnero P, Griesmacher A, McClung M, Morris HA, Silverman S, Trenti T, Wahl DA, Cooper C, Kanis JA; IOF-IFCC Bone Marker Standards Working Group. Markers of bone turnover for the prediction of fracture risk and monitoring of osteoporosis treatment: a need for international reference standards. Osteoporos Int. 2011 Feb;22(2):391-420. doi: 10.1007/s00198-010-1501-1. Epub 2010 Dec 24.

  • Schini M, Vilaca T, Gossiel F, Salam S, Eastell R. Bone Turnover Markers: Basic Biology to Clinical Applications. Endocr Rev. 2023 May 8;44(3):417-473. doi: 10.1210/endrev/bnac031.

  • Filella X, Guanabens N. Clinical use of bone markers: a challenge to variability. Adv Lab Med. 2023 Aug 28;5(1):7-14. doi: 10.1515/almed-2023-0092. eCollection 2024 Mar.

  • Lv F, Cai X, Lin C, Yang W, Ji L. Effects of Semaglutide and Tirzepatide on Bone Metabolism in Type 2 Diabetic Mice. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2024 Dec 9;17(12):1655. doi: 10.3390/ph17121655.

  • Iepsen EW, Lundgren JR, Hartmann B, Pedersen O, Hansen T, Jorgensen NR, Jensen JE, Holst JJ, Madsbad S, Torekov SS. GLP-1 Receptor Agonist Treatment Increases Bone Formation and Prevents Bone Loss in Weight-Reduced Obese Women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015 Aug;100(8):2909-17. doi: 10.1210/jc.2015-1176. Epub 2015 Jun 4.

  • Hygum K, Harslof T, Jorgensen NR, Rungby J, Pedersen SB, Langdahl BL. Bone resorption is unchanged by liraglutide in type 2 diabetes patients: A randomised controlled trial. Bone. 2020 Mar;132:115197. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2019.115197. Epub 2019 Dec 20.

  • Yang L, Yang J, Pan T, Zhong X. Liraglutide increases bone formation and inhibits bone resorption in rats with glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis. J Endocrinol Invest. 2019 Sep;42(9):1125-1131. doi: 10.1007/s40618-019-01034-5. Epub 2019 Apr 6.

  • Cheng Y, Liu P, Xiang Q, Liang J, Chen H, Zhang H, Yang L. Glucagon-like peptide-1 attenuates diabetes-associated osteoporosis in ZDF rat, possibly through the RAGE pathway. BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2022 May 17;23(1):465. doi: 10.1186/s12891-022-05396-5.

  • Wen B, Zhao L, Zhao H, Wang X. Liraglutide exerts a bone-protective effect in ovariectomized rats with streptozotocin-induced diabetes by inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. Exp Ther Med. 2018 Jun;15(6):5077-5083. doi: 10.3892/etm.2018.6043. Epub 2018 Apr 10.

  • Fathy MA, Anbaig A, Aljafil R, El-Sayed SF, Abdelnour HM, Ahmed MM, Abdelghany EMA, Alnasser SM, Hassan SMA, Shalaby AM. Effect of Liraglutide on Osteoporosis in a Rat Model of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Biochemical Study. Microsc Microanal. 2023 Dec 21;29(6):2053-2067. doi: 10.1093/micmic/ozad102.

  • Stefanakis K, Kokkorakis M, Mantzoros CS. The impact of weight loss on fat-free mass, muscle, bone and hematopoiesis health: Implications for emerging pharmacotherapies aiming at fat reduction and lean mass preservation. Metabolism. 2024 Dec;161:156057. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2024.156057. Epub 2024 Oct 30.

  • Batsis JA. Obesity in the Older Adult: Special Issue. J Nutr Gerontol Geriatr. 2019 Jan-Mar;38(1):1-5. doi: 10.1080/21551197.2018.1564197. Epub 2019 Feb 26. No abstract available.

  • Saad RK, Ghezzawi M, Habli D, Alami RS, Chakhtoura M. Fracture risk following bariatric surgery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Osteoporos Int. 2022 Mar;33(3):511-526. doi: 10.1007/s00198-021-06206-9. Epub 2022 Jan 5.

  • Wright CS, Li J, Campbell WW. Effects of Dietary Protein Quantity on Bone Quantity following Weight Loss: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Adv Nutr. 2019 Nov 1;10(6):1089-1107. doi: 10.1093/advances/nmz058.

  • Zibellini J, Seimon RV, Lee CM, Gibson AA, Hsu MS, Shapses SA, Nguyen TV, Sainsbury A. Does Diet-Induced Weight Loss Lead to Bone Loss in Overweight or Obese Adults? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials. J Bone Miner Res. 2015 Dec;30(12):2168-78. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2564. Epub 2015 Jun 16.

  • Szulc P, Naylor K, Hoyle NR, Eastell R, Leary ET; National Bone Health Alliance Bone Turnover Marker Project. Use of CTX-I and PINP as bone turnover markers: National Bone Health Alliance recommendations to standardize sample handling and patient preparation to reduce pre-analytical variability. Osteoporos Int. 2017 Sep;28(9):2541-2556. doi: 10.1007/s00198-017-4082-4. Epub 2017 Jun 19.

  • Patel N, Ganti L. The Treatment and Monitoring of Osteoporosis using Bone Turnover Markers. Orthop Rev (Pavia). 2025 Jan 6;17:127772. doi: 10.52965/001c.127772. eCollection 2025.

  • Hunter GR, Plaisance EP, Fisher G. Weight loss and bone mineral density. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2014 Oct;21(5):358-62. doi: 10.1097/MED.0000000000000087.

  • Rinonapoli G, Pace V, Ruggiero C, Ceccarini P, Bisaccia M, Meccariello L, Caraffa A. Obesity and Bone: A Complex Relationship. Int J Mol Sci. 2021 Dec 20;22(24):13662. doi: 10.3390/ijms222413662.

  • Li H, Qiu J, Gao Z, Li C, Chu J. Association between waist-to-height ratio and osteoporosis in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: a cross-sectional study. Front Med (Lausanne). 2024 Dec 18;11:1486611. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1486611. eCollection 2024.

  • Liu Y, Liu Y, Huang Y, Le S, Jiang H, Ruan B, Ao X, Shi X, Fu X, Wang S. The effect of overweight or obesity on osteoporosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clin Nutr. 2023 Dec;42(12):2457-2467. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2023.10.013. Epub 2023 Oct 18.

  • Hou J, He C, He W, Yang M, Luo X, Li C. Obesity and Bone Health: A Complex Link. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2020 Dec 21;8:600181. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2020.600181. eCollection 2020.

  • Gkastaris K, Goulis DG, Potoupnis M, Anastasilakis AD, Kapetanos G. Obesity, osteoporosis and bone metabolism. J Musculoskelet Neuronal Interact. 2020 Sep 1;20(3):372-381.

  • Cauley JA. Public health impact of osteoporosis. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2013 Oct;68(10):1243-51. doi: 10.1093/gerona/glt093. Epub 2013 Jul 31.

  • Rhee EJ. The Influence of Obesity and Metabolic Health on Vascular Health. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2022 Feb;37(1):1-8. doi: 10.3803/EnM.2022.101. Epub 2022 Feb 28.

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Biospecimen

Retention: SAMPLES WITHOUT DNA

blood (serum and plasma)

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Obesity

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

OverweightOvernutritionNutrition DisordersNutritional and Metabolic DiseasesBody WeightSigns and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Central Study Contacts

Maria Evangelia Koloutsou, Endocrinology Resident

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
observational
Observational Model
COHORT
Time Perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Consultant Endocrinologist in the 1st Department of Propaedeutic and Internal Medicine, Medical School of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA) and Deputy in Charge of (C.E.R.E.D) - Disorders of Calcium and Phosphate Metabolism

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 30, 2025

First Posted

July 30, 2025

Study Start

May 23, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

December 30, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

December 30, 2026

Last Updated

January 21, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-01

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Due to participant privacy concerns and institutional policies, individual participant data will not be shared outside the research team

Locations