President Bruce Jarrell sits down with three School of Medicine experts to discuss the issues surrounding GLP-1 medications.
She tried going vegan, tried a high-protein diet, she was even walking 20,000 steps a day, but after giving birth to her second child, 23-time tennis grand slam champion Serena Williams finally met an opponent she could not beat: her weight. So, she did what fully 11 percent of Americans are doing about it right now: She turned to medication.
The popular term — GLP-1 — stands for Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist. GLP-1s are medications that act like a natural gut hormone, triggering the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar levels increase and suppressing glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar. The result is slower digestion and a prolonged sense of fullness after eating.
In Williams’ case, her medication — marketed as Zepbound — also acts like a gastric inhibitory polypeptide, which modifies the effects somewhat. The important thing for Williams is that she did lose 31 pounds and at age 44 was able to return to professional tennis and perform admirably at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year.
Although many who now take GLP-1s are, like Serena Williams, not obese, about 40 percent of American adults are. And for them, the excess weight and fatty tissue puts them at risk for some dire consequences: high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, certain cancers, fatty liver disease, and, of course, the illness GLP-1s were originally designed to treat: type 2 diabetes.
So, could GLP-1s be the answer to America’s obesity crisis?
A Gallup survey published in July says the medication is already having a measurable impact.