In this video, Zhaoping Li, MD, PhD, of the UCLA School of Medicine in Los Angeles, breaks down the newest weight-loss drug for the stars, semaglutide (branded as Ozempic for the treatment of type 2 diabetes 2 and Wegovy for weight management).
Amid a surge in demand for the GLP-1 agonist, Li discusses a supply shortage, weight loss misconceptions, and an NIH study that could change the way we think about diet.
The following is a transcript of his remarks:
Ozempic, or Wegovy, is a new class of medication that belongs to the GLP-1 agonists. It was first developed as a drug to treat type 2 diabetes, and now we know it also has an indication for weight loss.
GLP-1 agonist is actually an endogenous hormone. When we eat, especially protein-rich foods, our endogenous GLP-1 level increases, creating satiety or fullness, and this is the reason why we give ourselves extra injections, to enhance the effect of endogenous hormones.
That being said, it is a higher dose of our own hormones. It has been shown to be safe in all the experience we have in treating type 2 diabetes. As for its use as a weight loss drug, it has been on the market for more than 2 years, and in general it has also been safe
Applications for GLP-1 agonists as weight loss drugs have increased significantly. This is because more than 70% of us have a weight problem and we all struggle to find an easy solution. So this is just another tool in the box. We’ve seen this kind of enthusiasm in the past for any new drug that might be helpful in weight management. There is no exception for GLP-1 agonists.
With the supply chain issues along with the new indication [for weight loss], there has been a shortage of this class of drugs on the market. This only fuels the problem of people going to great lengths to get this drug. It can also make people feel like this is more of a miracle than anything else.
My passion is helping everyone to not only manage their weight, but to live a better life and feel better about themselves. We all need to invest in our own health, and the one-size-fits-all approach of the last 20 to 30 years has proven ineffective. We are all different, not only do we have a genetic background, a cultural background, a different height, a different weight, but we are really dynamically different, even when we compare today to yesterday, from 1 week ago.
That’s why NIH launched a discovery-first study called Nutrition for Precision Health this January. The goal is actually to test 12,000 people with a standard meal to see who you are and what your body’s response is. After that, everyone will follow three different diets, and we will metabolically check which diet suits you and your body.
In a sense, there are people who may be better off with the Mediterranean diet or the best diet that we think is healthy, but in the meantime there are people who will benefit from a ketogenic diet, or there are also those who are fine with what we are. doing day after day.
So this is just a new beginning of discovery and science. Hopefully in five or 10 years, instead of telling you to portion control or go on the keto diet or do intermittent fasting, we can actually do a test and see in that moment what the best reaction of the your body to him. It could have nothing to do with diet, [maybe] just sleep better or go to bed today, not until tomorrow (ie first thing in the morning at 2am).
So it’s a rapidly evolving field and we’re really at the forefront of trying to get a better answer.
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Emily Hutto is a producer and associate video editor for MedPage Today. It is based in Manhattan.