Diabetes meds for weight loss have become increasingly popular with good reason. Many people living with diabetes struggle to lose weight. Obesity and overweight are risk factors for diabetes. This is because excess fat worsens insulin resistance. Insulin resistance is a major part of the root cause of type two diabetes.
When we treat people with obesity early with the diabetes medications for weight loss we now have, in many cases, we can prevent prediabetes, diabetes and diabetic complications altogether.
Weight loss is challenging for many reasons. Physiologically, the human body likes to be in a steady state. So when a person loses weight, the body increases appetite and slows metabolism to try to get them back to steady state. This occurs due to a hormonal response to weight loss. There are multiple hormones at play when it comes to both hunger and satiety. This increase and appetite and metabolic slowing occurs with weight loss even if a person’s weight is at an unhealthful high level. This happens even when a lower weight would be much healthier for the person struggling to lose weight.
Diabetes meds for weight loss work on this hormonal response to promote weight loss and reduce weight regain.
We have been using medications called glucagon-like peptide receptor agonists for over a decade in diabetes. These medications augment the secretion of a hormone called glucagon-like peptide. This hormone tells the pancreas to secrete insulin after meals when the blood sugar is high. This way these medications directly lower blood sugar in people living with diabetes.
These diabetes meds for weight loss also work by slowing how quickly food moves through the gastrointestinal tract, thus reducing appetite. They also work on receptors in the brain to reduce food fixation thus reducing food intake. Many of us eat when we are hungry, but we also eat when we are bored, happy, sad and for many other reasons that lead to unwanted weight gain. These diabetes meds for weight loss help keep us from overeating in multiple ways.
Thousands of patients have had successful weight loss with these medications who were unable to lose weight with diet and exercise changes. These medications have put them in a safer place metabolically.
Several years ago, these diabetes medications were approved by the FDA for weight loss even for people who do not have diabetes. The first of these medications that was approved for weight loss even without diabetes was liraglutide, a once daily injectable. A few years later, semaglutide, a once weekly injectable, was approved for weight loss. The weekly dosing is much more convenient for patients and most people report fewer side effects with semaglutide than with liraglutide. The clinical trial data for tirzepatide, a newer medication, is promising for weight loss, and this may be FDA approved for weight loss soon, as well.
These diabetes meds for weight loss have been shown to be safe and effective in both research and in the clinic for even non-diabetic people with obesity. By reducing weight, we can reduce the burden of chronic metabolic disease related to obesity.