Ozempic, Wegovy, and its cousins have become the pharmaceutical darlings of the 2020s.
The connection between poorer health and higher weight has always beenmore complicatedthan commonly portrayed.
GLP-1 is one of several hormones that play a key role in regulating our metabolism and hunger.
The GLP-1RA medications Wegovy, Victoza, and Ozempic.© Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty
It accomplishes this through several mechanisms.
When we eat, for instance, our blood sugar begins to increase.
Other GLP-1RAs followed over the years, with semaglutide first approved as the diabetes drug Ozempic in 2017.
For comparison, people taking Saxenda in a similar trial lost about7.5% body weight.
Given that, its tempting to think that these drugs are simply fixing a GLP-1 deficiency in obese people.
Much of these benefits seem to be tied to the substantial weight loss due to GLP-1 therapy.
Either way, researchers have begun to conduct larger trials of semaglutide for not onlyalcoholismbut other brain-related conditions likeAlzheimers.
Whats bad about GLP-1s
No drug comes risk-free, and GLP-1RAs are no exception.
Their most common side effects are gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, and constipation.
These too can be explained by the biology of GLP-1, according to Coviello.
Another serious adverse effect associated with GLP-1RA use is ileus, or intestinal blockage.
Thankfully, ileus and gastroparesis appear to be rare complications of GLP-1RAs.
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