Beyond Weight Loss: Improving HealthSpan Through Tirzepatide and Resistance Exercise | CSI UWA Research Webinar Series
HealthSpan refers to the period of life during which people remain healthy, active and free from significant chronic illness. However, HealthSpan is about more than preventing conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia and mental health disorders.
It also encompasses maintaining physical function, psychological wellbeing, independence, social connections and the ability to participate in work, family and community life. Ultimately, improving healthspan is about adding life to our years, not just years to our life.
Obesity is a major public health challenge, increasing the risk of chronic disease, disability and reduced quality of life. While new weight-loss medications such as tirzepatide have transformed obesity treatment, important questions remain about their effects on muscle mass, physical strength, wellbeing and the ability to maintain improvements over time.
The Tirzepatide and Resistance Exercise (T±REx) randomised controlled trial, conducted at The University of Western Australia, investigated whether combining tirzepatide with supervised resistance exercise could preserve muscle mass and improve physical function during substantial weight loss. The study involved 120 adults aged 50–70 years and compared tirzepatide alone with tirzepatide combined with resistance exercise.
As part of the CSI UWA Research Webinar Series, Professor Danny Green will present the trial's clinical findings, including changes in body composition, muscle strength and cardiovascular health. Professor Leanne Lester will then explore the broader social impact of the trial, drawing on participants' experiences of changes in mental health, wellbeing, confidence, physical capability and everyday life.
The presentation will also consider the potential health economic implications of combining pharmacological treatment with resistance exercise, including how the costs of treatment might be weighed against improvements in quality of life, independence and longer-term health outcomes.
Together, the presentations will examine what it means to achieve meaningful and sustainable improvements in healthspan, highlighting why the success of obesity treatment should be measured not only by weight lost, but also by what people gain.
Speakers Bio
Danny Green is a Winthrop Professor at The University of Western Australia and Fellow of the Academy of Health and Medical Sciences who is a cardiovascular exercise physiologist specialising in chronic disease prevention. Through collaborations between science, engineering and medicine, his team focuses on early disease detection to optimise and personalise disease prevention. He directs the UWA HealthSpan Institute, a flagship initiative delivering services to the WA community that enhance their health and well-being, by integrating evidence-based research, practitioner and researcher training, and student-led preventative health services.
Professor Leanne Lester is the Research Manager at the Centre for Social Impact UWA . Leanne is an epidemiologist and biostatistician who has over 25 years’ experience in evaluation and is the Research Manager at CSI UWA. Leanne provides specialised research methodology, data collection, linkage and data analysis expertise for business, not-for-profits, school and community-based research, education and advocacy. Leanne has been involved in many evaluations focussed on mental, emotional, social and physical wellbeing outcomes. Leanne is currently involved in the evaluation of FDV services, homelessness initiatives, women’s refuge services, mental health and drug initiatives, indigenous programs, and philanthropy.