The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Show

Have you heard about retatrutide?
It's the weight loss drug everybody is talking about. People are buying it online as a research chemical, and patients ask me if I'm prescribing it (I'm not).
A study in the New England Journal of Medicine shared insights into the drug, which is currently not FDA-approved. At the highest dose, people lost an average of 25% of their body weight over 80 weeks, compared with about 4% body weight for those on placebo. The area I care about most—muscle—doesn’t get much attention.
In this episode, I go through the TRIUMPH-1 results, how retatrutide compares with semaglutide and tirzepatide, and what protein and resistance training do for muscle during weight loss.

Find Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at:
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- X (Twitter): https://x.com/drgabriellelyon
- Apply to become a patient – https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/
- Join my weekly newsletter – https://institute-for-muscle-centric-medicine.ck.page

Chapters:
00:00 Cold open: weight loss we have never seen before with a drug
00:45 TRIUMPH-1 and phase three: a trial of retatrutide in people without diabetes
02:49 Approval and mechanism: phase three is not FDA approval, and retatrutide hits GLP-1, GIP and glucagon
04:53 The headline: 25% of body weight, about 62 pounds, against 15% for semaglutide and 21% for tirzepatide
06:52 Trial design: 2,339 adults, 80 weeks and no prescribed diet
08:45 Results by dose: 17 to 28% on retatrutide, about 4% on placebo and the bariatric surgery comparison
10:29 The top dose: more than half dropped below a BMI of 30, plus the 104-week extension
13:10 Beyond the scale: waist, blood pressure, triglycerides, insulin, CRP, knee pain and sleep apnea
15:37 The muscle question: TRIUMPH-1 does not report body composition
16:32 Phase 2 DEXA data: about 30 to 40% of weight lost was lean tissue
18:22 Protein and training: the 1.2 versus 2.4 g/kg deficit study
20:24 The goal: lose fat and keep muscle
21:29 Pharmacology: SURMOUNT-5 put tirzepatide at 20% against 14% for semaglutide
22:30 What glucagon adds, and why there is no head-to-head trial yet
25:23 Side effects, and why more drug is not better medicine
27:23 What TRIUMPH-1 changes, and the study still missing
28:48 Not FDA approved, and where obesity pharmacology goes next
29:51 Close: the goal was never weight loss

Study and References:
Jastreboff AM, Kaplan LM, Davies MJ et al. 2026. Retatrutide, a triple hormone receptor agonist, for treatment of obesity. N Engl J Med. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2604169
Coskun T et al. 2025. Effects of retatrutide on body composition in people with type 2 diabetes: a substudy of a phase 2, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled, randomised trial. PMID: 40609566 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40609566/
Longland TM et al. 2016. Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: a randomized trial. PMID: 26817506 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26817506/
Aronne LJ et al. 2025. Tirzepatide as compared with semaglutide for the treatment of obesity. PMID: 40353578 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40353578/
Wilding JPH et al. 2021. Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. PMID: 33567185 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33567185/
Jastreboff AM et al. 2022. Tirzepatide once weekly for the treatment of obesity. PMID: 35658024 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35658024/

Disclaimer: The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.

How do the amino acids in a soy patty and a beef patty compare once they reach your blood?
In a trial he helped design, Dr. David Church matched a 4-ounce beef patty against a soy-based burger. He had to double the soy to roughly match the single beef patty in essential amino acids. The blood amino acid levels shocked him.
David joins me at Protein Summit 3.0 to explain what happened.
He also tells me why muscle protein breakdown is so much harder to measure than synthesis, and shares insights from his 21-day testosterone study, where the men on testosterone lost all of their weight as fat while the placebo group lost about half of theirs as fat-free mass.

Thank you to our sponsors:

- Cozy Earth: 20% off home and sleepwear at cozyearth.com with code DRLYON
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Find Dr. David Church at:

- UAMS profile: https://uams-triprofiles.uams.edu/profiles/profile/5838748
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dr.myohead
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-church-6b0662280
- X (Twitter): https://x.com/DrMyohead

Find Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at:

- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgabriellelyon/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@drgabriellelyon
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyon
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyon
- X (Twitter): https://x.com/drgabriellelyon
- Apply to become a patient – https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/
- Join my weekly newsletter – https://institute-for-muscle-centric-medicine.ck.page

Chapters:
0:00 – Dr. David Church on the Nandrolone Aging Study in Mice
3:17 – What Testosterone Changed in Men During a 21-Day Energy Deficit
6:14 – Androgens, Hormones and What We Still Do Not Know in Women
9:43 – Stable Isotope Tracers Explained With Legos
10:56 – Why Muscle Protein Breakdown Is So Hard to Measure
13:23 – How Testosterone May Recycle Amino Acids Inside the Muscle Cell
16:01 – Net Protein Balance, Burns and Whole-Body Protein
18:38 – Obesity, Anabolic Resistance and the 1.2 g/kg Protein Target
24:38 – Testosterone and Protein as Complementary Levers
26:15 – Nandrolone, Satellite Cells and Muscle Memory
32:50 – The Soy Burger vs. Beef Patty Trial
40:18 – Plant Protein, Low Appetite and Essential Amino Acid Supplements
41:16 – GLP-1 Responders and Why Dr. Lyon Uses Essential Amino Acids
47:49 – Are Essential Amino Acids Requirements Higher Than We Thought?

Disclaimers: This episode includes paid sponsorships.
The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.

Protein has become a numbers game, and the numbers leave out the essential amino acids your muscle, brain and metabolism depend on. Protein is how you get them, and its quality may change how well you age.
In this episode, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon brings together some of her favorite moments with Dr. Don Layman, Dr. Heather Leidy and Dr. Jess Gwin to break down the essential amino acid requirement, cut through the confusion on protein quality (what a protein label leaves out, plant vs. animal sources, branched-chain amino acids, and leucine), and explain what the research says about essential amino acids in brain function, mood, sleep, energy deficit, and anabolic resistance as we age.
If you have ever wondered what your protein label isn't telling you, or why half an ounce of nuts and an ounce of lean beef count as the same serving, this conversation offers a clear, practical look at what the science says.

Thank you to our sponsors:
- BodyHealth: 20% off your first order at bodyhealth.com with code LYON20
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Find Dr. Don Layman, Dr. Heather Leidy and Dr. Jess Gwin at:
- Dr. Heather Leidy: https://nutrition.utexas.edu/directory/heather-leidy/
- Dr. Don Layman: https://x.com/donlayman
- Dr. Jess Gwin: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jess-Gwin

Find Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgabriellelyon/
- TikTok: @drgabriellelyon
- Facebook: facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyon
- YouTube: youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyon
- X (Twitter): x.com/drgabriellelyon
- Apply to become a patient – https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/
- Join my weekly newsletter – https://institute-for-muscle-centric-medicine.ck.page

Chapters:
0:00 – Why the Requirement Is Essential Amino Acids, From Muscle to Mood and Sleep
3:24 – Dr. Jess Gwin on Protein Quality and Why the Dietary Guidelines Miss It
5:36 – What a Protein Label Does and Doesn't Tell You
6:50 – Nuts vs. Lean Beef and the Cost of Going Plant-Based
9:35 – Dr. Don Layman on Branched-Chain Amino Acids, Leucine and mTOR
11:19 – How Much Protein Reaches the Leucine Threshold
14:00 – Dr. Jess Gwin on Essential Amino Acids Under Energy Deficit and Stress
16:36 – Dosing, Aging and Anabolic Resistance
19:26 – Whole Foods vs. Amino Acid Powders as Tools
21:29 – Dr. Lyon's First-Meal Routine

Disclaimers: This episode includes paid sponsorships.
The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.

Eating before bed: harmful or helpful? Dr. Mike Ormsbee breaks down protein before bed, casein vs. whey, fat metabolism, sleep, and resistance training for postmenopausal women.
Late-night eating comes with many rules of thumb, and most people follow them without knowing what the research shows. Dr. Mike Ormsbee, a researcher at Florida State University, has spent years measuring how protein before bed affects metabolic rate, overnight fat burning, sleep, and recovery. If you lift, want to keep muscle as you age, or have been told to stop eating after dinner, his view on casein vs. whey and bedtime snacks may change what you keep in the kitchen.

Thank you to our sponsors:
- BodyHealth: 20% off at https://bodyhealth.com with code LYON20
- One Skin: 15% off with code Doctor Lyon at oneskin.com
- Ladder app: ladder.fit/doctorlion, free 7-day trial, no credit card, $10 off the first month

Find Dr. Mike Ormsbee at:
- Visit www.mikeormsbee.com/lyon
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikeormsbee/?hl=en
- Course, Changing Body Composition Through Diet and Exercise (The Great Courses): https://shop.thegreatcourses.com/changing-body-composition-through-diet-and-exercise

Find Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgabriellelyon/
- TikTok: @drgabriellelyon
- Facebook: facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyon
- YouTube: youtube.com/@DrGabrielleLyon
- X (Twitter): x.com/drgabriellelyon
- Apply to become a patient – https://drgabriellelyon.com/new-patient-inquiry/
- Join my weekly newsletter – https://institute-for-muscle-centric-medicine.ck.page

Chapters:
0:00 – The Eating-Before-Bed Debate and How Pre-Sleep Feeding Is Defined
5:00 – Metabolic Rate, Belly-Fat Probes and Casein vs. Whey
9:14 – Exercise as Our "Metabolic Apology" for Poor Diet and Poor Sleep
15:07 – Resistance Training and Fat Metabolism
21:58 – Inside the Five-Year NIH Study: Lifting vs. Cardio After Menopause
31:59 – Growth Hormone, Fed vs. Fasted Training and Why Obesity Slows the Response
36:29 – Protecting Muscle During Rapid Weight Loss and How Much Lifting Is Enough
43:09 – What the Postmenopausal Study Is Showing So Far
50:00 – Sleep, Evening Exercise and the Hungry-at-Night Protein Snack
55:47 – Does Excess Protein Turn to Fat? Older Adults, Calories and Timing
1:02:25 – Collagen, Creatine and Ketones: What He Takes and Skips
1:11:15 – Casein vs. Whey, Future Research and His Best Advice for Postmenopausal Women

Disclaimers: This episode includes paid sponsorships.
The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.

Childhood and adolescence provide a one-time biological opportunity: our kids' bodies are primed to grow, build tissue, and develop cognitive capacity. But to do that, they need the right raw materials.
In this video, we break down why restricting nutrient-dense foods in growing children puts their development at risk. We explore the critical role of highly bioavailable nutrients like heme iron and vitamin B12, how nutrient status directly impacts academic performance and attention, and why building muscle and metabolic reserve early protects your health decades later.
Don't wait until your children are 40 and struggling with their health to teach them what strong looks like.

Thank you to our sponsor:
Rula: https://www.rula.com/drlyon

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction: Why We Must Start in Childhood
01:14 - Kids Are Not "Little Adults": Growth vs. Maintenance
02:25 - Puberty & Protein Metabolism: The Role of Leucine
03:50 - How Much Protein Do Kids Actually Need? (RDA vs. Modern Data)
06:10 - Protein Requirements for Active and Athletic Youth
08:35 - Upgrading the Typical Kid Diet: High-Quality Protein Sources
11:47 - Bone Accrual & Debunking the Youth Strength Training Myth
14:10 - Neurological Strength: Why Kids Get Stronger Without Bulking Up
17:15 - Resistance Training for Girls: Hormones, Strength & Busting the "Bulk" Fear
20:50 - Critical Micronutrients for Brain & Body: Iron and B12
22:45 - Building Lifelong Biological Reserve: Raising Capable Humans

Explore More from Dr. Gabrielle Lyon
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Connect with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drgabriellelyon
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@drgabriellelyon
X (Twitter): https://x.com/drgabriellelyon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/doctorgabriellelyon

Studies mentioned in the podcast:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42752819/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35020179/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35011099/
If you found this episode valuable, share it with someone who would benefit from it.

Disclaimers: This episode includes paid sponsorships.
The Dr. Gabrielle Lyon Podcast and YouTube are for general information purposes only and do not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing, or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast, YouTube, or materials linked from this podcast or YouTube is at the user's own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professional for any such conditions.