Kind 2 diabetes is among the commonest and well-studied fashionable illnesses. So, new drugs to fight this situation are continuously being developed.
One such kind of remedy is known as a glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) agonist. These meds have change into more and more in style just lately as a result of regardless that GLP-1 receptor agonists had been initially developed to deal with kind 2 diabetes, they started to indicate a really promising profit: important weight reduction.
In the event you suppose you’re a candidate for one in all these medicines, learn on to be taught all the things you must 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 necessary 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 properly anymore, the sugar stays within the blood, and also you develop kind 2 diabetes.
Because of this folks with diabetes have higher-than-normal blood sugar ranges. It’s additionally why most diabetes drugs (together with GLP-1 agonists) are focused in the direction of blood sugar management.
However like all good planners, your physique all the time has a backup. When insulin begins slacking off (prefer it does in people with diabetes), your physique sends out the GLP-1 hormone to choose up the slack.
When scientists found this sensible transfer, they got here up with a solution to mimic the physique’s actions. Thus, GLP-1 agonists had been developed.
An agonist is any manufactured substance (like a drug or remedy) 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 motion:
- 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 just’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—probably 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 some pounds, particularly when you discover portion management difficult.
Does this imply anybody can take GLP-1 medicine to shed some pounds? Let’s discover the professionals and cons of taking these drugs for weight reduction results.
6 Key Concerns of GLP-1 Medication
GLP-1 agonists had been first authorised to be used as kind 2 diabetes remedy by the U.S. Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2005. These medicine are often out there in a liquid kind, together with a needle and syringe.
That you must inject them into the fatty tissue beneath your pores and skin. The commonest injection web site is the stomach, adopted by the outer thighs, higher buttocks, and the backs of your arms.
These medicine are often really helpful solely after safer and extra typical strategies like food regimen and train have failed to provide the specified outcomes.
Even then, GLP-1 agonists aren’t miracle medicine and may’t work alone. They have to be accompanied by dietary and way of life adjustments for long-term use.
1. Study who can and can’t take these medicine
To profit from GLP-1 agonist medicine, your physique mass index ought to both be 30 or greater or be 27 or greater with a well being complication like:
- Prediabetes or kind 2 diabetes
- Heart problems
- Hypertension
- Excessive ldl cholesterol
- Non-alcoholic fatty liver illness
- Obstructive sleep apnea
- Polycystic ovarian syndrome
In line with MyFitnessPal’s registered dietician, Stephanie Nelson, it’s essential to seek the advice of your well being care supplier earlier than beginning this remedy. It is because taking any remedy comes with sure dangers and potential uncomfortable side effects. An excellent well being care supplier will enable you weigh the dangers you face by taking the remedy versus the dangers of not taking it.
They’ll additionally issue within the well being advantages you’ll obtain by taking the remedy. These medicine are finest fitted to people who’re at well being threat associated to their weight. For instance, when you have weight problems, you’re at a greater threat of creating diabetes or coronary heart illness.
However when you’re NOT at well being threat, then these medicine aren’t really helpful for you as a result of they put you at pointless threat of uncomfortable side effects.
You additionally shouldn’t take GLP-1s if:
- You could have a private or household historical past of thyroid most cancers, as they enhance the chance of thyroid most cancers.
- You’re pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning to get pregnant.
- You could have extreme bowel illness.
- You’re allergic/delicate to semaglutide.
- You could have a previous or lively consuming dysfunction.
One other factor to think about when choosing GLP-1s is the affect of those medicine in your meals consumption.
For instance, GLP-1s impression meals consumption 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 must be acutely aware and conscious 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 drugs, you must keep disciplined about making nutritious meals selections and monitoring your energy to stop malnutrition and obtain wholesome weight reduction.
2. Know the GLP-1 medicine out there and their effectiveness
Many GLP-1 drugs can be found on the U.S. market. Nevertheless, solely the next three are at present authorised by the FDA to be used as weight-loss medicine:
Semaglutide (Wegovy)
- Kind: 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 whole levels of cholesterol, systolic blood stress, and triglycerides
- Analysis overview 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
- Kind: 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 (based mostly on remedy response and drug tolerance)
- Efficacy findings:
- Manufactured-sponsored SURMOUNT-3 trial: whole imply weight lack of 26.6% over 84 weeks
- Manufactured-sponsored SURMOUNT-4 trial: whole imply weight lack of 26% over 88 weeks
3. Be mindful their potential uncomfortable side effects
GLP-1 agonists include an extended checklist of potential opposed results resembling:
- 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 conduct 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 threat of thyroid most cancers
In line with heart specialist and MyFitnessPal scientific advisor Danielle Belardo, MD, most gut-related uncomfortable side effects will be resolved by way of dietary adjustments like consuming smaller meals, growing fiber consumption, and staying hydrated.
Enjoyable Truth: MyFitnessPal presents a FREE 7-day GLP-1 Diet Plan, made in collaboration with specialists from our scientific advisory board. Study extra!
4. Perceive the insurance coverage protection of those medicine
Insurance coverage protection for GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide will depend on a number of components, resembling the kind of remedy, plan, supplier, and well being situation.
GLP-1s are typically coated by insurance coverage, however provided that deemed medically obligatory. For instance, some suppliers cowl them in the event that they’re used to deal with kind 2 diabetes.
Medicare doesn’t cowl these medicine for weight reduction, however in some states, Medicaid does.
You’ll want to test together with your supplier earlier than beginning this drug. Some plans could require prior authorization or a documented prognosis. You may additionally want to fulfill sure well being standards or pay some copayment quantity.
Wegovy and Saxenda value $1,349.02 per month-to-month package deal.
Zepbound prices round $1,059.87 monthly.
Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly (the producers) supply financial savings applications 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 line with the corporate, most individuals with business protection for this drug pay lower than $25 monthly.
5. Know the weight problems remedy 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 meals.
- Make small, sustainable adjustments to diet.
- Add extra protein and fiber to your food regimen.
- Lower down on high-sugar drinks. Drink extra plain water as an alternative.
- Be sure that to get enough, high-quality sleep.
- Transfer your physique extra — whether or not it’s by way of train, taking a stroll, and even doing chores.
- In excessive circumstances, take into account different weight reduction therapies like surgical procedure or drugs that trigger weight reduction (like phentermine).
- Search recommendation from professionals like a registered dietician, psychologist, endocrinologist, or bodily therapist to obtain personalized care tailor-made to your wants.
6. Be mindful the utmost remedy period for GLP-1
Analysis 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.
Weight problems 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 will be reversed as soon as the drug is stopped.
Briefly, GLP-1s can be utilized for the remedy of weight problems however can’t treatment it fully. That’s why you must be mentally ready to be on GLP-1s doubtlessly for all times when you want to obtain everlasting advantages.
The Backside Line: GLP-1s Aren’t Proper for Everybody
Choosing the proper drug relies on many components like your well being standing, drug tolerance, funds, and insurance coverage protection. Communicate to your well being care supplier earlier than beginning any drugs.
On the finish of the day, food regimen and train are simply as necessary in a profitable weight reduction journey. For a simple begin, introduce small adjustments like planning your meals, monitoring your energy, or creating an train routine.
