What To Know About GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs
GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) are a group of medications primarily used to manage type 2 diabetes, but over the past few years, they have shown an incredible ability to help millions of patients lose weight.
The drugs help lower blood sugar levels by mimicking a natural hormone in the body that regulates insulin release and appetite. In recent years, there have been many stories about how these drugs — like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda) — have transformed weight loss and changed people’s lives.
They have been touted in the media as a sort of miracle drug, however, we don’t yet have the full picture of the risks v. benefits of these drugs. Still, weight management is a critically important part of healthcare, as so many conditions are related to excess weight.
“Some of the benefits for using GLP-1 agonists can be weight loss, improvement in glycemic control or blood glucose, decreased risk of weight-related conditions such as various cancers, like breast cancer, endometrial cancer, colon cancer, liver disease,” Dr. Holly Lofton, director of the Medical Weight Management Program at NYU Langone in Manhattan, tells SN Health Network.
If you are considering going on a GLP-1 medication for weight loss, it’s important to understand what these drugs are and what they do, potential side effects, cost, and more.
Endocrinologist Dr. Samantha Kass Newman gives a brief history lesson on GLP-1 drugs.
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