Why Do We Need Ozempic Or Even A Whole New Class Of Obesity Medications?
I mean diets work, people lost weight on low carb, low fat, keto you name it.
Even the old diet drugs such as ephedrine, clenbuterol, DNP worked to the extent that patients lost about 10% of their body weight.
Why a new one?
Several reasons
- 10% weight loss is not all that much if the person is morbidly obese, except for bariatric surgery =25%
- With any lifestyle intervention, be it any type of exercise, diet or a diet drug, people have always gained the weight back. Without fail In order to change someone’s life for the better we need to recognize two things
- It’s not about losing the weight but not regaining it
- We need to redefine obesity as a condition of chronic relapse . For the longest time we told obese people that they were lazy, weak etc. Just like we told depressed patients 30 years ago to “just get it together” and being depressed was a weakness. Today we know better and treat the condition to alleviate the symptoms.
Here is where GLP1 drugs change the playing field. As opposed to older diet drugs which rev up the metabolism, GLP 1 stops the patient from overeating .
How?
Semaglutides, are GLP-1 receptor agonists (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists). They mimic the GLP-1 hormone, which is naturally released in the gut after eating. but normally it stays in the body for 3-4 minutes only This hormone plays a key role in blood sugar regulation and appetite control.
How Semaglutides Work:
- Slows Gastric Emptying – Food stays in the stomach longer, making you feel fuller for a longer period.
- Reduces Appetite – Affects hunger centers in the brain, leading to reduced cravings and calorie intake.
- Enhances Insulin Secretion – Stimulates the pancreas to release more insulin when blood sugar levels rise.
- Suppresses Glucagon Release – Reduces glucagon (a hormone that increases blood sugar), helping to stabilize glucose levels.
Mounjaro vs. Ozempic: Which Is Better?
Both Mounjaro (Tirzepatide) and Ozempic (Semaglutide) are injectable medications for Type 2 diabetes and weight loss, but they work slightly differently and have different levels of effectiveness.
Mounjaro combines a GLP1 and a GIP agonist, making it more powerful in regards to appetite reduction ( for reasons we do not quite understand)
The weight loss on average comes to 22% body weight versus 15 % on semaglutides .
That is on the level with bariatric surgery and truly life changing.
So What Can You Expect?
A reduction in food intake from anywhere to 500 calories to up to 1000, if you are a hyper responder which will put you on a path to lose between 1- 2lbs per week.
My criticism is that people are being prescribed the drug and then told it will do everything for you. Some changes will have to be made especially in regards to the intake of liquid calories, especially alcohol since that has no GLP1 response. Four margaritas will kill any caloric deficit the drug has created.
Muscle loss is not as bad as initially thought, but it will play a role as you lose more weight. To combat this, I suggest you add strength training two or three times a week, focus on consuming protein in your diet (Protein is also great hunger retardant) and add a multivitamin.
The question is always asked : Should people not start with diet and exercise and then add medication?
Not if we categorize obesity as a condition of relapsing/ overeating. where people need to see some success via the drug to hopefully make the next steps in order to change their life.
A depressed person also knows he should exercise but simply cannot get out of bed, but an antidepressant could make the difference to get him started.
I am very excited about the next class of these treatments as I believe they have the potential to dramatically improve people’s quality of life.
Maik
#fatloss #transformation