Trendy weight-loss drugs containing semaglutides function by targeting metabolic pathways in your body. What most people fail to remember, is that gut microbes and food molecules already play a key role in regulating these. Drugs containing semaglutide such as Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Wegovy, have been approved for controlling blood sugar levels. As the popularity spreads, many individuals are taking the drugs for solely weight loss purposes.
As great as they are for individuals who truly need them, do they really point towards the root cause? Your body produces natural versions of these drugs in your gut. Incretin hormones are naturally occuring gut peptides that are secreted after nutrient intake. These hormones then stimulate insulin secretion together with hyperglycemia. GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) und GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) are the known incretin hormones from the upper (GIP, K cells) and lower (GLP-1, L cells) gut.
Natural Gut Hormones and Weight Loss
Gut bacteria plays a crucial role in your metabolism. These different types of bacteria break down indigestible components of foods you consume. These include GLP-1, a natural version of Wegovy and Ozempic. GLP-1 and other hormones help regulate blood sugar through the pancreas. They also tell your brain that you’ve had enough to eat and your stomach and intestines to slow the movement of food along the digestive tract to allow for digestion.
Prior to the increase of modern processed foods, metabolic regulatory pathways were controlled by a diverse healthy gut microbiome. This microbiome used hormones to naturally regulate your metabolism and appetite. Removal of these key food components and the resulting decrease in gut microbiome diversity may be an important factor contributing to the rise in obesity and diabetes.
Is Ozempic Right for You?
Despite the success and prospect of these drugs to help populations that may benefit most from them, current prescribing practices have raised some questions. Should people who are only a little overweight use these drugs? What are the risks of prescribing these drugs to children and adolescents for lifelong weight management?
At Life After Semaglutide, we have a team of highly-trained nutritionists. We are a one-of-a-kind company that provides one-on-one nutrition coaching to help you feel your best. We know the type of guilt that comes with food because we have coached so many people over the years. Our mission is to guide you on your health journey and safely ween you off any weight loss medication.