Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1) agonists might not sound familiar to you, but you’ve almost certainly heard of semaglutide, a diabetes medication soaring in popularity.
Available under the brand names Ozempic®, Wegovy®, and Rybelsus®, semaglutide helps patients lose weight more quickly than the traditional combination of dieting and exercise. In addition to weight loss, taking semaglutide can help reduce risks of weight-related medical issues, like heart disease or diabetes.
Jeffrey Sherman, DC, NP, is a top provider of patient-centered weight-loss programs at Prime Wellness, offering an array of options, including semaglutide injections. In this post, learn how GLP-1 agonists work and why they might be the best choice to help you achieve your weight-loss goals.
Quick facts about GLP-1 agonists
An agonist is a chemical that triggers or enhances a biological response. Semaglutide is a glucagon agonist, meaning it stimulates glucagon production, a chemical that accelerates your liver to produce glucose (blood sugar).
Glucagon is produced by your pancreas, and combined with the hormone insulin, helps regulate glucose levels in your blood, which is how GLP-1 agonists help people manage diabetes.
Because insulin and glucose are involved with metabolism, optimizing the levels of those chemicals with GLP-1 agonist medications also helps your body burn calories more effectively. For this reason, semaglutide has also emerged as an effective tool for weight management.
How GLP-1 agonists work for weight loss
GLP-1 agonists work in two key ways to promote weight loss and long-term weight management.
Reducing appetite
GLP-1 targets your brain’s appetite responses, reducing feelings of hunger. As a result, you crave food less often, meaning you eat less without feeling deprived, unsatisfied, or unhappy.
Slowing down digestion
GLP-1 agonists slow down digestion, slowing down how quickly food leaves your stomach. That means you tend to feel full much longer and consume fewer calories.
On top of those benefits, by optimizing your metabolism, GLP-1 agonists may help you burn more calories and lose weight even without spending more time at the gym. Finally, changes in your appetite may help you develop healthier eating habits over time, supporting long-term successful weight management through meaningful changes in behavior.
What happens during therapy
We recommend semaglutide for people with a BMI of 30 or more or a BMI of 27 or more in addition to a medical issue like diabetes or heart disease.
Before beginning therapy, we perform a physical exam and review your lifestyle, weight-loss goals, and lifestyle factors to ensure semaglutide is right for you. We evaluate your body mass index (BMI) and order blood tests.
Semaglutide therapy also works well with most lifestyles. You can come to the office for your injections or administer injections yourself, making it easy to stick to your weight-management efforts. Ongoing doctor visits ensure your dosage stays on track with your goals while also helping you avoid side effects.
Potential side effects tend to be minimal and include nausea, headache, and fatigue. Most people find these effects lessen as they adjust to the medication.
How to achieve your goals
Recent research shows that semaglutide can help you maintain your weight loss for years, making it a sustainable, practical option for managing your weight and long-term health needs. To find out if semaglutide is right for you, call 818-824-8629 or request an appointment online with the team at Prime Wellness in Woodland Hills, California, today.