Background
Obesity is a global health issue. It raises the risk of many serious diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancer.
Scientists have been working hard to find effective treatments. One of the most recent drugs to gain FDA approval is semaglutide.
Semaglutide is not just any drug, it’s a special type of medication known as a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist.
Without getting too technical, these drugs help your body regulate its blood sugar levels, which can help with weight loss.
The Study
A group of researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the United States decided to test how well semaglutide works in the real world, outside of clinical trials.
They looked at data from people who had been given semaglutide at three different Mayo Clinic hospitals. These people were overweight or obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 or higher.
These folks were given semaglutide every week for a year. Some took a lower dose, but most people were given a higher dose of 2.4mg.
The researchers focused on people who were only using semaglutide and no other obesity medications. They also left out anyone who had had weight loss surgery, had cancer, or was pregnant.
Results
What they found was pretty impressive. Out of the 305 people included in the study, the average person lost 13.4% of their total body weight after one year.
And this wasn’t just a small amount of weight – it was a significant portion of their total body mass.
People with type 2 diabetes lost a little less weight (10.1%), compared to people without diabetes (16.7%). This is probably due to the complexities of managing diabetes and weight loss at the same time.
In terms of individual goals, 82% of people lost more than 5% of their body weight, 65% lost more than 10%, 41% lost more than 15%, and 21% lost more than 20%.
Semaglutide wasn’t just good for weight loss. It also helped improve other health measures.
It lowered blood pressure, decreased total cholesterol, LDL (the bad kind of cholesterol), and triglycerides (another type of blood fat).
Side Effects
Of course, no drug is without side effects. About half of the people in the study experienced some side effects.
The most common were nausea and diarrhea, but these were usually mild and didn’t affect people’s quality of life too much. However, 16 people did have to stop taking the medication due to the side effects.
Conclusions
The study concluded that semaglutide was effective in helping people lose weight and improve other health parameters over a year.
It was equally effective for people with and without type 2 diabetes. This makes it a promising treatment for obesity in the real-world setting.
The researchers are now looking at other ways semaglutide might help with weight loss, including in people who have regained weight after weight loss surgery, and in people who have tried other weight loss medications without success.
In conclusion, this real-world study of semaglutide is good news for those struggling with obesity and offers hope for an effective treatment option.
As with any medication, though, it’s important to discuss the potential benefits and risks with a healthcare provider.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies that hop extract could reduce belly fat in overweight people, and early time-restricted eating could help lose weight.
If you care about weight loss, please read studies that avocado could help you lose weight and belly fat, and a keto diet for weight loss can cause flu-like symptoms.
Copyright © 2023 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
