When you are looking at weight loss, there are lots of pills that advertise speedy. But now, researchers believe they’ve found a potential solution that some in scientific communities are calling a “miracle drug” for shedding those extra pounds called semaglutide.
But is it everything it’s cracked as much as be? It’s not widely available available on the market yet, but here’s what the science says relating to this peptide-like compound.
What is semaglutide and how does it work?
Semaglutide is currently approved like a drug to help treat diabetes type 2, but scientists were interested in how the drug’s appetite-suppressing effects may benefit those who are obese and want to lose weight.
Researchers are still parsing together the molecular reactions within semaglutide, but to date they already know it controls hunger leave people feeling fuller despite eating less food. It will this by attaching the the receptors from the GLP1 hormone within the brain, which will help manage our appetites. It also increases insulin secretion and for that reason sugar metabolism, which is helpful both in terms of weight management and preventing diabetic symptoms.
How much weight can people lose using semaglutide?
According to a different article published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers at Northwestern University conducted a 68-week clinical study with over 1,900 participants in 16 different countries who injected themselves weekly with either a semaglutide solution or perhaps a placebo. After the trial, those who’d received the drug lost close to 15 % of their bodyweight typically, which translated to roughly 33 pounds. In comparison, individuals with the placebo lost an average of roughly 2.4 percent of the bodyweight.
Moreover, roughly a third of participants who received the drug lost 20 percent of the body weight or more, and in some cases, participants who had signs of pre-diabetes and diabetes saw their symptoms reduced.
That said, you may still find many unknowns that researchers need to straighten out before semaglutide is available to a wider swath of people. They’re still determining if semaglutide is most effective by itself or perhaps in tandem with a healthy diet and solid exercise program, what the long-term effects are from taking it, and the best way to administer it (for example intravenously or orally).
