Low discontinuation rate of tirzepatide treatment in Japanese patients with diabetes mellitus; importance of traditional Japanese diet

Abstract

Tirzepatide, a novel dual GIP and GLP-1 receptor agonist, has demonstrated robust efficacy in clinical trials; however, discontinuation rates due to gastrointestinal adverse events have been reported at 6–10% in Western populations. In contrast, our real-world study of 219 Japanese patients revealed a markedly lower discontinuation rate of approximately 1.3%. Dietary questionnaires indicated that patients experienced reduced appetite for high-fat and high-calorie foods while maintaining consumption of low-carbohydrate traditional Japanese foods such as fish and meat, which may have contributed to the low discontinuation rate.