Semaglutide
Obesity is a serious medical condition that can lead to health problems including heart disease and diabetes. The World Health Organization has estimated that over 1.1 billion adults worldwide are overweight, with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 30 kg/m2. In the United States alone, more than 100 million individuals suffer from obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Obesity can lead to complications such as fatty liver disease, cardiovascular disease, and reduced life expectancy.
A new drug for weight loss shows promise for people suffering from obesity.
The drug, semaglutide, is sold under the name Wegovy. It’s intended for use by patients who have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, are trying to lose 10% or more of their total body weight, and haven’t been able to do so using other treatments.
Semaglutide has been tested in clinical trials involving more than 1,900 obese adults who’d been unable to lose five percent of their body weight after receiving one year of treatment with other medications. These studies found that semaglutide increased average weight loss from 2% to 20%, compared with placebo among patients treated just over one year.
Semaglutide is currently approved as a once-weekly treatment for people that are struggling to lose weight.
Semaglutide is an injectable drug that acts as a GLP-1 receptor agonist. It’s currently approved as a once-weekly treatment for people that are struggling to lose weight by reducing their appetite, increasing the amount of calories they burn, and reducing fat mass.
The drug was better than a placebo at helping people lose weight and keep it off over two years.
It lowers blood sugar levels by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1 that tells your body to make insulin more efficiently and tells your brain when you’ve had enough food. Patients share that after being on therapy that they no longer have the cravings for food
and snacks that they used to. This promotes weight loss both internally and externally by curbing appetite right away.
The group who took a lower dose of the medication lost an average of 23 pounds over 64 weeks.
Researchers say that would be comparable to weight loss from following an intensive low calorie diet for an extended period of time grouped with a comprehensive daily exercise regimen.
The people who took the higher dose Semaglutide lost an average of 31 pounds.
In the trial, which involved 1,387 patients with obesity (but not type 2 diabetes) who were randomly assigned to one of three doses of semaglutide: 0.5 mg, 1 mg or placebo for 104 weeks, those on the higher-dose groups lost an average of 31 pounds and those on the lower-dose group lost an average of 11 pounds.
The most common side effects were nausea and vomiting in both groups taking semaglutide (at rates ranging from 34% to 37%), as well as diarrhea in those receiving 0.5 mg and 1 mg doses (35% and 32%, respectively). The researchers noted that weight loss was similar regardless of gender or race/ethnicity among participants who completed their treatment assignments for at least 26 weeks.
So, what does this mean for you? Well, if you are trying to lose weight, it may be worth giving semaglutide a shot. It’s not a miracle drug, but it can drastically increase your chances of success. We think that this drug has potential as a new treatment option for people struggling with obesity or diabetes who have tried other options and are looking for something new. Easily lose the weight, keep it off, and live a longer, fuller life!