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• A new study reports that GLP-1 semaglutide medications may help reverse the effects of osteoarthritis in the joints.
• The researchers say the drugs accomplish this by repairing tissue damage by reprogramming cells that maintain healthy cartilage.
• Experts say weight loss is the most effective strategy to combat osteoarthritis, but regular exercise and a healthy diet can also help.

Researchers report that a specific type of GLP-1 weight loss medication may help reverse tissue damage in people with osteoarthritis.

A new study published on March 3 in Cell Metabolism found that GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which contain the active ingredient semaglutide, can help ease the effects of osteoarthritis on joints.

The findings suggest that the benefits go beyond weight loss, which, in itself, can ease osteoarthritis by reducing pressure on joints.

The researchers say that semaglutide drugs help repair tissue damage by reprogramming the metabolism of cells that synthesize and maintain healthy cartilage. This allows cartilage to generate more energy.

“This work not only highlights the potential off-target effect of semaglutide as an effective drug to treat metabolic osteoarthritis but also reveals a weight loss-independent repair mechanism that targets metabolic pathways and mediators essential to cartilage repair under osteoarthritis conditions,” the study authors wrote.

“This may lead to new strategies to develop disease-modifying therapies for osteoarthritis,” they continued.

Matthew Baker, MD, an assistant professor of medicine in immunology and rheumatology at Stanford University in California, said the study, although limited in size and scope, does provide a hypothesis for future breakthroughs. Baker wasn’t involved in the study.

“Most current therapies target symptoms such as pain rather than the underlying structural drivers of disease,” Baker told Healthline. “As a result, truly disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs have remained elusive despite decades of research.”

The other group contains the active ingredient semaglutide. The medications sold under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy are among them.

Both types of GLP-1 drugs have proven to be effective in helping people lose weight by using mechanisms that help suppress appetite.

Losing weight is considered one of the best ways to help reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis, especially in the knee joints. It works by reducing pressure on joint cartilage and lowering inflammation.

In their new study, researchers said they wanted to determine whether the reduction in osteoarthritis symptoms with GLP-1 drugs extended beyond weight loss.

They first experimented with an animal model, examining obese mice with osteoarthritis. Some of the mice were treated with semaglutide drugs while others weren’t. The researchers reported that both groups lost similar amounts of weight, but the semaglutide mice received better cartilage protection.

The results were due to a complicated metabolic pathway that affects how various cells produce energy.

The researchers then studied 20 people ages 50 to 75 with obesity and osteoarthritis. Some of this group, which comprised seven males and 13 females, received semaglutide medications while others did not.

The researchers reported that at the end of a 24-week treatment period, subjects who received semaglutide had significant improvements in knee joint function.

They noted that MRI analyses revealed thicker cartilage and recent cartilage growth in the inner joint areas among the semaglutide group.

Bert Mandelbaum, MD, a sports medicine specialist, orthopedic surgeon, and co-director of the Regenerative Orthobiologic Center at Cedars-Sinai Orthopedics in Los Angeles, said it’s possible that healthier cells provide better oxidation and can help preserve healthy cartilage. Mandelbaum wasn’t involved in the study.

“We’re learning more as we go,” Mandelbaum told Healthline. “It’s like trying to put together a big puzzle.”

“Rather than regenerating cartilage de novo, semaglutide likely stabilizes cartilage and enables limited repair by improving the metabolic environment within the joint,” said Baker.

It is a degenerative condition that causes inflammation in the joints. Some of the common symptoms include:

• pain or stiffness in the joints
• loss of flexibility
• reduced range of motion
• tenderness when pressing on an affected area
• grating or clicking sounds when joints are moved
• bone spurs

Osteoarthritis is caused by gradual joint and cartilage damage. Risk factors include:

• genetics
• previous injuries
• being over the age of 50
• menopause
• having an occupation that requires kneeling, climbing, or heavy lifting
• obesity

Mandelbaum and Baker agreed that weight is the number one factor in the development and progression of osteoarthritis.

“There is no question that there is an association between osteoarthritis and body weight,” said Mandelbaum.

“Excess body weight is one of the strongest modifiable risk factors for osteoarthritis, particularly for knee osteoarthritis,” said Baker. “Higher body mass increases mechanical load across joints, accelerating cartilage wear with every step.”

Baker noted that osteoarthritis can be difficult to treat.

“Osteoarthritis is difficult to treat because cartilage has very limited intrinsic healing capacity due to its avascular, low-cellularity structure,” he said. “Osteoarthritis is also biologically heterogeneous, involving cartilage, bone, synovium, nerves, and systemic metabolic factors rather than a single disease pathway.”

Mandelbaum said there are lifestyle factors people can adopt to help lower the risk of osteoarthritis as well as its painful effects. They include:

• maintaining a healthy body weight
• exercising regularly
• adopting a plant-based diet such as the Mediterranean diet
• limiting alcohol consumption

Baker agreed there are strategies to help reduce risks.

“Maintaining a healthy weight or preventing further weight gain is one of the most effective ways to reduce osteoarthritis risk, particularly for the knees,” he said.

“Regular physical activity, including low impact aerobic exercise and strength training, helps preserve joint function, improve biomechanics, and reduce pain,” he added. “Preventing joint injuries through balance training, fall prevention, and appropriate footwear is especially important in older adults.”

“Managing metabolic health conditions such as diabetes and insulin resistance may also reduce osteoarthritis risk by limiting systemic inflammatory and metabolic stress on joint tissues,” Baker said.

The latest research is not the first to report that GLP-1 drugs have benefits beyond weight loss.

In a 2023 study, researchers said that GLP-1 drugs’ anti-inflammatory properties may help reduce cancer risks.

In 2025, researchers reported that GLP-1 medications can reduce the risk of sudden death and hospitalization in people with a common type of heart failure.

In another 2025 study, GLP-1 drugs were found to be beneficial in lowering the risk of heart disease and stroke in people with type 2 diabetes.

In February 2026, researchers concluded that weight loss drugs containing tirzepatide may help lower the risk of eye disease in people with type 2 diabetes.

• Looksmaxxing, a social media-driven trend encouraging men to aggressively “optimize” their appearance, is gaining popularity.
• It’s related to similar appearance-based trends, like softmaxxing and hardmaxxing.
• While often framed as self-improvement, experts warn these trends can fuel body dysmorphia, anxiety, eating disorders, and even self-harm.
• Young men may be particularly vulnerable due to several factors, including online messaging about masculinity and worth.

A growing trend on social media is encouraging young men to “maximize” their appearance.

Known as looksmaxxing, the trend focuses on pursuing the “ideal” face and body. It follows similar social media trends, known as softmaxxing and hardmaxxing, which encourage everything from intensive grooming routines to cosmetic procedures and extreme body modification.

While proponents say these practices can be empowering, mental health experts warn they can fuel body dysmorphia, anxiety, and other unhealthy behaviors.

Jason Fierstein, MA, LPC, founder of Phoenix Men’s Counseling, said these trends are toxic and harmful.

“Young men fall into this false sense of acceptance, and what they believe women want from them,” he told Healthline. “They can get caught up in potentially lifelong struggles with feeling inadequate and handling that inadequacy.”

He further described looksmaxxing as a “social media-driven body dysmorphia trend.”

“People will focus their energies on improving their physique based on feelings of inferiority or inadequacy,” Fierstein said.

“Men can get caught in a cycle of trying to ‘optimize’ their looks, but as mental health clinicians, we know that if you’re feeling inadequate or inferior, those are the issues to work on with a qualified therapist.”

While the terminology differs, the trends all have one thing in common: the desire to obsessively change one’s appearance.

“Looksmaxxing is essentially self-improvement put on overdrive. It’s reframing the male physique as something to be engineered,” Fierstein explained.

While softmaxxing involves subtler changes to one’s appearance, often achieved through grooming and lifestyle adjustments, hardmaxxing is more extreme.

“It involves serious methods to change your looks, such as nose jobs, Botox, hair transplants, and chin surgery. The obvious issue with this is that once you open that Pandora’s Box, it’s hard to close the lid,” Fierstein noted.

Christine Ruberti-Bruning, MA, ATR-BC, CEDS, LPC, licensed therapist and certified eating disorder specialist, summed up the differences.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to look good, and caring for your appearance can build confidence and be gender affirming. But the big difference is that looksmaxxing is rooted in self-hate and trying to fit in, at the cost of your health and safety,” she pointed out.

“Hardmaxxing, meanwhile, seems to be dipping its toe into self-harm territory, especially some of its associated trends, like smashing your face with a hammer.”

Why does looksmaxxing seem to be resonating with young men in particular?

Fierstein said young men, especially teens, are typically at a stage of their lives when they are still figuring out who they are, and many may be searching for ways to project what they perceive as “the ‘correct’ version of masculinity.”

Fierstein believes trends like looksmaxxing may be related to incel culture and the manosphere, too.

“It started several years ago, with male gurus like Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, and the Tate brothers. These types of ‘masculine’ influencers led men astray,” he said.

Ruberti-Bruning shared another perspective about potential contributing factors.

“Mental health issues and loneliness are also prevalent right now, making young men especially vulnerable,” she noted.

Recognizing the line between taking pride in your appearance and an unhealthy obsession with how you look can be challenging for many people.

“Self-improvement practices become harmful when anxiety is the main motivator; when your rituals are taking up so much mental space that you can’t be present in your life and relationships,” Ruberti-Bruning said.

There are several risks associated with these types of unhealthy behaviors.

“Eating disorders and self-harm behaviours are commonly associated with body dysmorphia, anxiety, and low self-esteem,” Ruberti-Bruning said.

“Men are at risk of feeling shame around their bodies due to societal messaging that they must be muscular and fit. And for some men, it can feel like a threat to their masculinity and self-worth.”

Fierstein said that, for some people who attempt to make purely superficial changes to their physique, it can open the door to harmful, obsessive psychological needs.

“It can spin out of control, and you may feel you need to do something to help yourself feel better rather than feeling comfortable in your own skin.”

Ultimately, he said, healthy self-improvement usually doesn’t look like the kind of self-care content that’s popular on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

“It’s about taking care of yourself from the inside,” he said.

Practising greater self-acceptance isn’t something that happens overnight, but there are healthy steps you can take to begin that journey.

Firstly, Ruberti-Bruning said having complicated feelings about your body and appearance is valid and natural.

She suggested “leaning into” that and finding an outlet for it.

“Creativity is a great way to let those feelings out in a way that might even be fun. Consider drawing, collaging, or making a book to document your journey,” she advised.

While social media use can fuel unhealthy behaviors and feelings, there are ways to reduce these risks.

“Follow accounts that promote body acceptance and healthy masculinity. Or follow people who don’t fit into the narrow view of masculinity perpetuated by society,” Ruberti-Bruning said.

And finally, spend more time with friends and family.

“It sounds simple, but feeling connected to others helps us get out of our own heads. Our communities can help us stay true to ourselves,” Ruberti-Bruning said.