It’s no secret that GLP-1 use, specifically for weight loss, has risen massively over the past few years. The most recent data from November 2025 found that around 12% of adults in the U.S. are taking this injectable medication either for weight loss or a chronic condition, and this number has likely only increased since that report was released.
GLP-1s are exceptionally profitable, too, and global sales are projected to reach $190 billion by 2035. While largely considered safe, there are some known side effects of these drugs. Nausea is a common complaint, especially when first starting it, along with other gastrointestinal issues (like diarrhea, acid reflux or bloating).
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And then there’s the actual cost of this weight loss on your body: Research suggests that a meaningful chunk of the weight people lose while on GLP-1s (up to 40%) isn’t fat; it’s muscle. Exactly how worried we should be about the muscle loss from GLP-1s is widely debated—for example, if you have obesity, the health benefits of losing that weight may outweigh the cost of losing some muscle—but it can be especially concerning for people over 50 who want to preserve muscle and bone mass.
If that’s sounding alarm bells for you, a new option is entering the conversation: a non-prescription approach that a recent clinical trial suggests may offer fat loss without the muscle trade-off.?SIGN UP for Parade’s health newsletter with expert-approved tips, healthy eats, exercises, news & more to help you stay healthy & feel your best self?
The GLP-1 Alternative That Preserves Muscle Mass: Calocurb
Calocurb is a GLP-1 activator manufactured in New Zealand and made from Amarasate, an extract derived from New Zealand bitter hops. It’s taken in capsule form (so no injections), and stimulates bitter taste receptors in the gut wall, which trigger the natural release of hormones that promote fullness, like GLP-1.
And the results of a recent clinical trial, published in Obesity Pillars in July 2026, found that participants taking Calocurb lost significantly more weight and body fat—including the more dangerous visceral fat—than those on a placebo, with no meaningful loss of muscle mass.
Related: ‘I Lost 150 Pounds With the Help of a Natural GLP-1’
For the study, 150 adults with overweight or obesity were split into two groups: One took Calocurb, one took the placebo. Both groups were given basic healthy lifestyle guidance, and then researchers tracked their weight and body composition over the course of six months.
By the end of the study, the people on Calocurb had lost significantly more weight than those in the placebo group (8.4 pounds versus .9 pounds), and the weight loss came almost entirely from fat. That’s a big deal!
What Makes This Finding So Groundbreaking
According to Dr. Edward Walker, Ph.D., the lead researcher of the study, muscle mass is critical for metabolic health. “So to have a clinically proven, natural option for people that shows fat reduction while keeping muscle mass is a win for overall body composition,” he tells Parade.
What makes the finding especially compelling is how it connects to Calocurb’s three earlier clinical studies, a 2019 trial on hunger during fasting, a 2022 trial on gut hormone activation and energy intake, and a 2024 trial on food cravings in women, which showed that the supplement activates the body’s own GLP-1, CCK and PYY—hormones tied to weight loss, fat oxidation and muscle preservation.
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This fourth study shows that all three are working together: GLP-1 driving the weight loss, CCK targeting fat and PYY helping protect muscle. It also shows that the appetite-related effects seen in earlier research—a 30% drop in hunger, a 40% drop in cravings, and an 18% drop in calorie intake—translate into sustained changes in body composition over 24 weeks, not just short-term appetite suppression.
How Calocurb Works
But wait, how does Calocurb work, exactly? “Rather than adding one synthetic hormone (GLP-1), or two (GLP-1 and GIP) ,which is what happens with injectable GLP-1 therapies, Amarasate, the hop extract in Calocurb, activates bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) throughout the gastrointestinal tract,” Dr. Walker explains. “This stimulates the body to release three of its own satiety hormones, GLP-1, CCK and PYY at significant levels.”
These hormones are normally released when you have a meal and are your ‘feel full’ hormones that suggest you stop eating, Dr. Walker explains. Calocurb is meant to be taken at least one hour before a meal, activating these hormones before you even start eating you’re already feeling fuller.
“This differs fundamentally from administering a synthetic GLP-1 receptor agonist,” he says. “While they are very effective for weight loss, and helpful for many, synthetic GLP-1s do not mimic the physiological pattern of these hormones in the body. The aim of Calocurb is not to override physiology but to amplify an existing mechanism.”
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Sources:
Poll: 1 in 8 Adults Say They Are Currently Taking a GLP-1 Drug for Weight Loss, Diabetes or Another Condition, Even as Half Say the Drugs Are Difficult to Afford, KFF.org. Obesity Drugs Are Scaling Fast, Morgan Stanley GLP-1 diabetes and weight-loss drug side effects: “Ozempic face” and more, Harvard Health. Wilding, J. P. H., Batterham, R. L., Calanna, S., Davies, M., Van Gaal, L. F., Lingvay, I., McGowan, B. M., Rosenstock, J., Tran, M. T. D., Wadden, T. A., Wharton, S., Yokote, K., Zeuthen, N., & Kushner, R. F. (2021). Once-weekly semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(11), 989–1002. Walker, E., Lo, K., Smirk, I., Spence, M. R., Dinnan, H., Martell, S., & Lomiwes, D. (2026). Bitter hop nutraceutical stimulates fat mass loss while preserving muscle mass in a cohort of individuals with overweight or obesity receiving diet and exercise advice. Obesity Pillars, 19. Dr. Edward Walker, Ph.D., researcher, The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Walker, E., Lo, K., Tham, S., Pahl, M., Lomiwes, D., Cooney, J., Wohlers, M., & Gopal, P. (2019). New Zealand bitter hops extract reduces hunger during a 24 h water only fast. Nutrients, 11(11). Walker, E. G., Lo, K. R., Pahl, M. C., Shin, H. S., Lang, C., Wohlers, M. W., Poppitt, S. D., Sutton, K. H., & Ingram, J. R. (2022). An extract of hops (Humulus lupulus L.) modulates gut peptide hormone secretion and reduces energy intake in healthy-weight men: A randomized, crossover clinical trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 115(3), 925–940. Walker, E., Lo, K., & Gopal, P. (2024). Gastrointestinal delivery of bitter hop extract reduces appetite and food cravings in healthy adult women undergoing acute fasting. Obesity Pillars, 11.Hence then, the article about this glp 1 alternative offers a surprising health benefit doctor says was published today ( ) and is available on Parade ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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