What is Semaglutide?
Semaglutide, or Ozempic when sold under its brand name, is an anti-diabetic medication. It is most commonly used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes as well as a treatment for obesity and weight management. It is a GLP-1 receptor agonist which means that it can mimic the action of incretin glucagon like peptide 1. The results include increased insulin secretions coupled with an increase in blood sugar disposal. Meaning that overall glycemic control is improved.
Researchers at Novo Nordisk developed semaglutide as an alternative to liraglutide. Their aim was to replace liraglutide with a once a week diabetes medication.
Upon further research in 2017, semaglutide was also reported by both the University of Leeds and Novo Nordisk to aid as a treatment for obesity as well as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. A randomized controlled trial of semaglutide found that a singular dose a week resulted in a loss of 15% body weight over a 68 week span.
Semaglutide: A Study on Obesity
Obesity is a global health problem; however, with the help of peptides such as semaglutide, adults with obesity can achieve weight loss more effectively. And maintain said weight loss over time. In a double blind trial, adults with a higher body mass index of greater than 30 who did not have diabetes were randomly assigned to either placebo or semaglutide dosing once a week. This study spanned 68 weeks of treatment. In the group treated with semaglutide, the participants saw a 14.9% decrease in weight over the time frame as compared to the placebo group which only lost 2.4% of their body weight. Of the 1,961 participants, 1047 achieved 5% or more weight loss. The dosage given to participants in the semaglutide group was 2.4mg once weekly.
Keep in mind that the semaglutide on its own was not the only factor in this study. As it was coupled with lifestyle changes in the participants that included diet and exercise related changes.
Benefits & Side Effects
By mimicking the action of incretin GLP-1 in the body, semaglutide achieves several benefits for its users. The most common benefits being the lowering of blood sugar levels and the reduction in weight. When using semaglutide, it reduces the need for food intake in two ways. The first is a lowering of appetite and the second is slowing down digestion in the stomach. In doing these two things, semaglutide reduces food craving and hunger which then reduces body weight over time.
