Here’s what we’ll cover in this blog post:
- The expanded potential of GLP-1 medicine
- GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs) and your metabolic health
- Preventing metabolic symptoms with GLP-1 RAs
- How GLP-1 treatment affects different metabolic issues
Did you know that GLP-1 treatment applications go beyond mere weight management?
The popularity of major glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (or GLP-1 RAs), like Ozempic and Wegovy, is a matter of public knowledge, considering the impact they’ve made in weight loss.
However, new studies show that GLP-1 medicine may help patients fight metabolic diseases as well and prevent the telltale symptoms of chronic ailments. There’s an expanding focus on GLPs and their potential role in promoting overall metabolic health among general users.GLPs may even extend a person’s lifespan and lead to healthier lifestyles by promoting optimal metabolic well-being.
So, how do GLP-1s boost metabolic health, and what’s their application beyond weight loss?
GLP-1 Treatment and Current Applications
Let’s start with the basics and look into the current applications of GLPs.
Our intestines produce this peptide hormone called GLP-1, and it’s deeply connected to how our body regulates metabolism. Basically, our body releases GLP-1 during digestion, leading to:
- Insulin release: The primary purpose of these hormones is to trigger your pancreas to secrete more insulin into your stomach and lower the level of glucose.
- Glucose secretion: These hormones also block the release of glucagon (the hormone that raises your blood sugar levels). GLPs make sure that less glucose enters your bloodstream. So, users can easily regulate their sugar levels with GLP-1.
- Stomach emptying: GLPs also reduce the pace of stomach emptying, i.e., a natural part of the digestive process where the food starts traveling into your guts. A very slow digestion process also decelerates stomach emptying, increasing satiety. So, users won’t feel hungry as often as non-users.
Medications such as GLP-1 RAs mimic the way these natural hormones work. They activate GLP-1 receptors in our pancreas and enhance insulin release, suppressing appetite for significant weight loss.
Weight Loss with GLP-1 Medicine
Different versions of GLP-1 RAs are available in the market right now.
Your primary caregiver may prescribe you a GLP-1 based on your BMI and other factors. It’s better to compare popular options like Wegovy and Ozempic to check which one’s the best for weight loss based on your unique circumstances and medical history.
We know that clinical studies support the effectiveness of GLP-1 RAs in promoting weight loss & improving glycemic control in individuals suffering from obesity and type 2 diabetes.
For instance, a seminal study from the New England Journal of Medicine medications like Liraglutide and Semaglutide show substantial results. Participants in these studies lost around 5% to 10% of their total body weight and achieved healthy blood sugar levels. Other researchers noticed that injecting patients with higher doses of Semaglutide, as well as using co-agonists like Tirzepatide, led to 15% weight loss in participants.
That’s why a recent article published by Alfaris et al. in September 2024 claims: “GLP-1 RAs represent a valuable therapeutic option for individuals with obesity, offering not only significant weight loss but also potential benefits for cardiometabolic health. Continued research and clinical monitoring will help optimize their use and maximize patient outcomes in managing obesity and related metabolic conditions.”
However, healthcare practitioners caution you that GLPs must be used carefully, taking your BMI and other health factors into consideration. For instance, individuals with BMIs of 25 to 29 may be considered for semaglutide treatment on a case-by-case basis. However, anyone with a BMI lower than 25 may be denied semaglutide treatment.
In the end, it’s your doctor who shall prescribe you the usage of GLPs, especially since we can see the role of these RAs expanding beyond weight management.
GLPs can potentially increase a person’s lifespan and improve their well-being.
Beyond Weight Loss: GLP-1 Medicine and Metabolic Health
Clinical research has revealed the effects of GLP-1 RAs on a user’s metabolic health.
The effects of GLPs, this way, go beyond weight management and treating type 2 diabetes. As new studies show, GLP-1 treatment might even reduce the symptoms of different chronic health issues, increase the longevity of users, extend their healthspans, and play a key role in boosting their metabolic health. Let’s start with the basics: What is your metabolic health?
Your metabolism means how your body processes ingested sugars and fats. When you do not have any metabolic syndromes, you have optimal metabolic health. Metabolic syndromes aren’t a single disease but a group of interconnected ailments that affect your cardiovascular health.
We may describe metabolic syndromes as a cluster of diseases that become a risk factor for the health of your heart, leading to problems like a stroke or diabetes.
These five essential risk factors determine your metabolic health:
- High blood pressure
- High HDL cholesterol levels
- More fats (triglycerides) in your body
- High levels of blood sugar (glucose) in your body
- Unhealthy waist circumference (“apple-shaped figure”)
This section will explore how GLPs might be good for your heart. They may prevent depression, cancer, metabolic syndromes overall, renal health issues, and other ailments.
Cardiovascular Diseases
Most people don’t realize how common heart disease is! These diseases are the leading cause of death in men and women across all ages and racial spectra in the United States.
But the usage of GLP-1 RAs has shown progress in patients at risk of heart disease.
Clinical studies, including cardiovascular outcome trials (CVOTs), have demonstrated that these medications reduce the rates of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and those with preexisting cardiovascular conditions.
Some trials have even shown a 20% reduction in the risk of stroke and heart attack among folks treated with Semaglutides (compared to those on placebo).
GLPs reduce the risk of cardiovascular conditions through this interesting mechanism:
- Reducing a person’s blood pressure, especially those suffering from hypertension (more on this in the new subheading)
- Improving a user’s lipid profile and affecting their cholesterol levels (another risk factor in one’s metabolic health)
- Reducing systemic inflammation (linked to atherosclerosis and other heart diseases)
Since a person’s heart and vasculature both contain receptors for naturally occurring GLPs, we may assume that GLP-1 RAs affect our cardiac function both directly and indirectly. They exert a deep influence on your vascular health and may lead to better metabolic well-being.
Hypertension
Several recent studies have noted that GLPs may help folks dealing with high blood pressure.
A team of clinicians based in South Korea published an article in September 2024 exploring the potential of GLP-1 RAs in treating hypertension and preventing metabolic syndromes.
The research indicates that GLP-1 RAs may help manage blood sugar levels and significantly improve liver health by reducing fat accumulation, inflammation, and fibrosis in the liver. You can see that GLPs could extend a person’s lifespan by preventing cardiovascular risk factors.
Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Even patients suffering from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) may find relief with GLPs, a new research avenue has revealed.
These studies don’t promise progress when patients receive standalone GLP-1 treatment. They do argue that incorporating GLPs with current treatments like pioglitazone & Vitamin E leads to promising results. The positive effects of this treatment include reduced fat buildup in the liver, inflammation, and scarring.
Also, GLP-1 agonists could help decrease liver fat, reduce damage from ballooning cells, lower inflammation in the liver, and even lessen fibrosis (scarring) more effectively than some existing treatments. That’s how GLPs have emerged as a promising option in NAFLD management.
This is especially important given that untreated NAFLD can lead to serious liver damage.
Renal Failure
GLPs may also improve a person’s renal health and prevent kidney disease.
Several studies show that GLP-1 medicine could improve kidney function. GLPs may reduce the progression of diabetic nephropathy. The mechanism includes:
- Reducing glomerular hyperfiltration by improving glycemic control so the strain of one’s kidney is decreased
- Decreasing systemic inflammation the same way GLPs reduce inflammation in a user’s heart muscles
Evidence also suggests that GLP-1 RAs may decrease systematic inflammation stemming from metabolic disorders. That’s how GLP-1 treatment could lower the risk of renal complications and potentially increase a person’s metabolic healthspan.
Depression
Recent studies suggest that GLP-1 RAs may also be beneficial to people suffering from mental health problems, such as depression.
These synthetic hormones allegedly have anti-depression and neuroprotective effects as well. In other words, healthcare practitioners could prescribe GLPs to patients suffering from depression for mood improvement and brain health protection.
Clinical trials are still in their early stages in this regard. However, initial research shows that the usage of GLP-1 agonists may address the negative metabolic effects caused by antipsychotics. That’s because many patients taking these antipsychotics struggle with weight management. A study claims that GLPs may help patients who gained weight after using psychiatric meds.
Overall, this highlights the potential of GLP-1 agonists as a versatile treatment option for various health challenges that harm a person’s mental health.
However, these research studies are still inconclusive and may require further retrospection.
Cancer
Another study claims that GLPs may even reduce cancer risk in diabetic patients.
Published in the summer of 2024, this new study reveals that some patients who struggled with type 2 diabetes and were on GLP-1 RAs were found to have a lower risk of developing certain obesity-related cancers compared to those who were using simple insulin.
This groundbreaking study reveals the positive impact of GLP-1 medications on different cancer types, such as esophageal, colorectal, endometrial, gallbladder, kidney, liver, ovarian, pancreatic cancer, etc. compared to metformin, interestingly, GLPs showcased an increased cancer risk. It means that these studies are still in their early stages.
However, we can conclude that GLP-1 RAs offer protective benefits against particular cancers, especially in individuals struggling with diabetes.
General Metabolic Syndrome
Lastly, research dictates that GLP-1 RAs may benefit a person’s metabolic wellness by lowering the risk of metabolic syndromes.
Studies reveal that GLPs could avert metabolic ailments before their manifestation via physical symptoms. Traditional approaches treat conditions after their development. However, GLPs may mitigate these risks proactively, especially the ones related to obesity and type 2 diabetes.
For instance, one study claims GLP-1 RAs as the “newest anti-diabetic drugs that… appear to be safe and [in] well tolerable” limits for patients. Published in May 2020, this research paper indicates the value of repositioning GLPs to manage the risk factor of metabolic syndrome well beyond their normal usage as an anti-diabetic drug.
Another interesting study claims that the potential of GLP-1 treatment in metabolic disorders is a strong indication that these synthetic drugs might be beneficial in enhancing a user’s metabolic health and potentially increasing their lifespan.
GLP-1s and Metabolic Health
The role of GLP-1 RAs has expanded beyond weight management and diabetes treatment. As new research avenues open up, healthcare practitioners are realizing that GLPs are potentially beneficial for a person’s renal, cardiovascular, mental, and even overall metabolic wellness.
So, this research says that GLP-1 medicine may reduce the risk of major cardiovascular events and improve kidney function, addressing interconnected health issues associated with obesity & diabetes, thereby improving a person’s metabolic health and preventing the telltale symptoms of these chronic ailments instead of merely focusing on preventing them after onset.
The promising findings of this new research encourage healthcare professors to consider novel preventive strategies incorporating GLP-1 RAs in their therapeutic recommendations.
This approach enhances patient outcomes and contributes to the holistic management of users’ metabolic health, leading to longevity, extended lifespan, and improved healthspan.
Note: The above statements haven’t been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.