Liraglutide vs Follistatin 315
Side-by-side comparison of key properties, dosing, and research.
GLP-1 / Weight Loss AgonistsFat Loss & Metabolic
LiraglutideAnabolic & IGF
Follistatin 315- Summary
- Liraglutide is a long-acting GLP-1 receptor agonist approved for type 2 diabetes (Victoza) and chronic weight management (Saxenda). It reduces appetite, slows gastric emptying, improves insulin secretion, and promotes weight loss of 5–10% in clinical trials.
- Follistatin 315 is a splice variant isoform of follistatin produced by alternative mRNA processing. Unlike Follistatin 344 which is tethered to cell surfaces via heparan sulfate proteoglycans, FST-315 circulates freely in the bloodstream and has broader systemic distribution. It is the predominant circulating form and exerts systemic myostatin inhibition as well as FSH suppression, making it relevant to both muscle growth and reproductive endocrinology.
- Half-Life
- ~13 hours (once-daily dosing)
- ~3–5 hours (longer systemic circulation vs FST-344)
- Admin Route
- SubQ
- SubQ, IM
- Research
- —
- —
- Typical Dose
- Start 0.6 mg, titrate to 3 mg
- No established human dosing protocol
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Research use only
- Key Benefits
- Promotes weight loss (5–10% average)
- Reduces appetite and caloric intake
- Improves blood glucose control (HbA1c reduction)
- Reduces cardiovascular events in T2DM (LEADER trial)
- Slows gastric emptying
- FDA-approved for T2DM and chronic weight management
- Cardioprotective effects shown in clinical trials
- May improve fatty liver (NAFLD/NASH)
- Systemic myostatin inhibition for whole-body muscle growth
- Freely circulating — broader tissue distribution than FST-344
- Strong FSH-suppressive activity useful in certain hormonal protocols
- Potential for greater anabolic effect across multiple muscle groups simultaneously
- May be more relevant to reproductive endocrinology applications
- Studied in gene therapy approaches for muscular dystrophy
- Side Effects
- Nausea (very common, especially initially)
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Decreased appetite
- +5 more
- Systemic FSH suppression — significant concern for fertility
- Greater potential for off-target effects vs FST-344 due to systemic distribution
- Limited human safety data
- Potential cardiac hypertrophy with prolonged high-dose exposure
- Stacks With
- —
- —