Sort 2 diabetes is likely one of the most typical and well-studied trendy ailments. So, new medicines to fight this situation are continually being developed.
One such sort of medicine is named a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist. These meds have grow to be more and more fashionable just lately as a result of although GLP-1 receptor agonists have been initially developed to deal with sort 2 diabetes, they started to point out a really promising profit: vital weight loss.
For those who assume you’re a candidate for certainly one of these medicines, learn on to study all the pieces you’ll want to find out about GLP-1 agonists for weight reduction, how they work, who ought to take them, their uncomfortable side effects, and extra.
What Are GLP-1 Agonists?
Hormones are your physique’s pure messengers. They carry vital messages to totally different organs to maintain your physique functioning usually. Each insulin and GLP-1 peptide are naturally occurring hormones.
The meals you eat will get damaged down into easy sugars (like glucose) in your abdomen.
This sugar then enters the bloodstream and travels all through the physique. Insulin directs the sugar out of your blood into your cells for use as vitality.
However when insulin can’t do its job effectively anymore, the sugar stays within the blood, and also you develop type 2 diabetes.
Because of this folks with diabetes have higher-than-normal blood sugar ranges. It’s additionally why most diabetes medicines (together with GLP-1 agonists) are focused in direction of blood sugar management.
However like all good planners, your physique at all times has a backup. When insulin begins slacking off (prefer it does in of us with diabetes), your physique sends out the GLP-1 hormone to select up the slack.
When scientists found this good transfer, they got here up with a solution to mimic the physique’s actions. Thus, GLP-1 agonists have been developed.
An agonist is any manufactured substance (like a drug or medicine) that copies or boosts the actions of a naturally occurring substance (on this case, GLP-1) by stimulating its receptor.
How Does GLP-1 Work?
GLP-1 is often produced within the small gut. It has a four-fold messenger action:
- It tells the pancreas to extend insulin secretion to handle your blood sugar ranges correctly.
- It additionally tells the pancreas to not launch hormones like glucagon, which might transfer glucose from different storage locations (just like the liver) into the bloodstream.
- It tells your abdomen to digest the meals slowly in order that extra sugars don’t get added to the bloodstream earlier than insulin can clear them out.
- It tells your mind that you simply’re full and never hungry in any respect — aka, it decreases starvation and will increase satiety. This prevents overeating and retains you from taking in additional meals earlier than the earlier meal is absolutely digested.
This remaining motion has caught the attention of most people and has pushed GLP-1 agonists—essentially the most well-known being semaglutide—into the limelight, even amongst folks with out diabetes.
GLP-1 agonists can lower your urge for food and maintain you feeling full on a regular basis. They could enable you shed pounds, particularly if you happen to discover portion management difficult.
Does this imply anybody can take GLP-1 medicine to shed pounds? Let’s discover the professionals and cons of taking these medicines for weight reduction results.
6 Key Issues of GLP-1 Medication
GLP-1 agonists have been first authorised to be used as sort 2 diabetes medicine by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005. These medicine are often accessible in a liquid type, together with a needle and syringe.
You could inject them into the fatty tissue beneath your pores and skin. The most typical injection website is the stomach, adopted by the outer thighs, higher buttocks, and the backs of your arms.
These medicine are often advisable solely after safer and extra standard strategies like food regimen and train have failed to supply the specified outcomes.
Even then, GLP-1 agonists aren’t miracle medicine and may’t work alone. They should be accompanied by dietary and life-style adjustments for long-term use.
1. Be taught who can and can’t take these medicine
To learn from GLP-1 agonist medicine, your body mass index ought to both be 30 or larger or be 27 or larger with a well being complication like:
- Prediabetes or sort 2 diabetes
- Heart problems
- Hypertension
- Excessive ldl cholesterol
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver illness
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
In keeping with MyFitnessPal’s registered dietician, Stephanie Nelson, you need to seek the advice of your well being care supplier earlier than beginning this medicine. It is because taking any medicine comes with sure dangers and doable uncomfortable side effects. A superb well being care supplier will enable you weigh the dangers you face by taking the medicine versus the dangers of not taking it.
They’ll additionally issue within the well being advantages you’ll obtain by taking the medicine. These medicine are greatest suited to people who’re at health risk related to their weight. For instance, when you have weight problems, you’re at a higher risk of creating diabetes or coronary heart illness.
However if you happen to’re NOT at well being danger, then these medicine aren’t recommended for you as a result of they put you at pointless danger of uncomfortable side effects.
You additionally shouldn’t take GLP-1s if:
- You’ve a private or household historical past of thyroid most cancers, as they enhance the danger of thyroid most cancers.
- You’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to get pregnant.
- You’ve extreme bowel illness.
- You’re allergic/delicate to semaglutide.
- You’ve a previous or lively eating disorder.
One other factor to think about when choosing GLP-1s is the affect of those medicine in your meals consumption.
For instance, GLP-1s impact food intake by quieting meals noise and subconsciously getting you to decide on much less salty, sugary, and fatty meals. This speaks to how highly effective your unconscious cues to eat are and the position your mind performs in weight problems.
However it is a double-edged sword since you nonetheless should be acutely aware and aware of what you’re consuming to make sure you’re consuming sufficient—which is the place monitoring what you eat is available in.
Whereas taking GLP-1 medicines, you’ll want to keep disciplined about making nutritious meals decisions and tracking your calories to stop malnutrition and obtain wholesome weight reduction.
2. Know the GLP-1 medicine accessible and their effectiveness
Many GLP-1 medicines can be found on the U.S. market. Nevertheless, solely the next three are presently authorised by the FDA to be used as weight-loss medicine:
Semaglutide (Wegovy)
- Sort: injectable
- Frequency: weekly
- Beginning dose: 0.25 to 1.7 mg for the primary 16 weeks
- Upkeep dose: 2.4 mg
- Efficacy findings:
- Producer-sponsored research of 803 and 1,961 folks: common lower in physique weight of seven.9% and 14.9%, respectively, with smaller waists and decrease complete levels of cholesterol, systolic blood stress, and triglycerides
- Research review in 2021: weekly dose of Wegovy led to weight discount results in a number of research
Liraglutide (Saxenda)
Tirzepatide (Zepbound)
- Twin GLP-1/glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor agonist
- Sort: injectable
- Frequency: weekly
- Beginning dose: 2.5 mg in 0.5-mL liquid resolution for the primary 4 weeks
- Upkeep dose: 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5, or 15 mg from week 5 (primarily based on remedy response and drug tolerance)
- Efficacy findings:
- Manufactured-sponsored SURMOUNT-3 trial: complete imply weight lack of 26.6% over 84 weeks
- Manufactured-sponsored SURMOUNT-4 trial: complete imply weight lack of 26% over 88 weeks
3. Be mindful their potential uncomfortable side effects
GLP-1 agonists include a protracted checklist of potential adverse effects reminiscent of:
- Digestive system: abdomen ache, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, indigestion, flatulence, bloating, belching, and gastroesophageal reflux
- Nervous system: headache, dizziness, fatigue, temper adjustments, and suicidal habits or ideation
- Low blood sugar and diabetic retinopathy in folks with diabetes
- Allergic reactions
- Drug interactions
- Coronary heart fee adjustments
- Gall stones
- Pancreatitis
- Kidney harm
- Elevated danger of thyroid most cancers
In keeping with heart specialist and MyFitnessPal scientific advisor Danielle Belardo, MD, most gut-related uncomfortable side effects may be resolved via dietary adjustments like consuming smaller meals, rising fiber consumption, and staying hydrated.
Enjoyable Reality: MyFitnessPal provides a FREE 7-day GLP-1 Diet Plan, made in collaboration with consultants from our scientific advisory board. Learn more!
4. Perceive the insurance coverage protection of those medicine
Insurance coverage protection for GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide depends upon a number of components, reminiscent of the kind of medicine, plan, supplier, and well being situation.
GLP-1s are typically lined by insurance coverage, however provided that deemed medically crucial. For instance, some suppliers cowl them in the event that they’re used to deal with sort 2 diabetes.
Medicare doesn’t cowl these medicine for weight reduction, however in some states, Medicaid does.
Make sure you test along with your supplier earlier than beginning this drug. Some plans might require prior authorization or a documented analysis. You might also want to satisfy sure well being standards or pay some copayment quantity.
Wegovy and Saxenda price $1,349.02 per month-to-month package deal.
Zepbound prices round $1,059.87 per 30 days.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly (the producers) provide savings programs for folks with out insurance coverage protection.
With this, it can save you round $500 a month for a four-week provide of Wegovy or Zepbound. In keeping with the corporate, most individuals with business protection for this drug pay lower than $25 per month.
5. Know the weight problems remedy alternate options to GLP-1
Listed here are some methods for weight administration if GLP-1s aren’t for you:
- Go for home-cooked as an alternative of ultra-processed foods.
- Make small, sustainable adjustments to vitamin.
- Add extra protein and fiber to your food regimen.
- Lower down on high-sugar drinks. Drink extra plain water as an alternative.
- Ensure that to get enough, high-quality sleep.
- Transfer your physique extra — whether or not it’s via train, taking a walk, and even doing chores.
- In excessive circumstances, take into account different weight reduction remedies like surgical procedure or medicines that trigger weight reduction (like phentermine).
- Search recommendation from professionals like a registered dietician, psychologist, endocrinologist, or bodily therapist to obtain custom-made care tailor-made to your wants.
6. Be mindful the utmost remedy period for GLP-1
Research reveals that individuals achieve round two-thirds of their misplaced weight again inside a yr after stopping GLP-1 dietary supplements. So, these medicine is probably not your best option for long-term weight reduction.
Obesity is taken into account a persistent situation. Medication like GLP-1s suppress cravings, enhance insulin sensitivity, and mute obesity-promoting pathways within the physique. However these results may be reversed as soon as the drug is stopped.
In brief, GLP-1s can be utilized for the treatment of obesity however can not remedy it fully. That’s why you’ll want to be mentally ready to be on GLP-1s doubtlessly for all times if you happen to want to obtain everlasting advantages.
The Backside Line: GLP-1s Aren’t Proper for Everybody
Choosing the proper drug depends on many components like your well being standing, drug tolerance, price range, and insurance coverage protection. Converse to your well being care supplier earlier than beginning any medicines.
On the finish of the day, food regimen and train are simply as vital in a profitable weight reduction journey. For a straightforward begin, introduce small adjustments like planning your meals, monitoring your energy, or creating an train routine.
