ONE of my patients, Rajesh (52), a businessman, is a long-time diabetes patient. Despite being on multiple medications, including insulin, his blood sugar remained unstable. He was constantly fatigued. There was onset of kidney problems associated with diabetes. And he was steadily gaining weight despite being on a balanced diet.<\/p>\n
The conventional approach would have been to increase his insulin dose. Instead, after careful evalution, he was put on GLP-1 injections. Over the next few months, the change was striking. His blood sugar levels improved significantly. His dependence on insulin reduced. His kidney parameters stabilised. But most importantly, his energy returned \u2014 he felt healthier, more active, and more in control. And he lost weight. But the real gain was his overall health trajectory.<\/p>\n
There are thousands of such patients who stand to gain after the recent expiry of patent on GLP-1 drugs (Ozempic\/Wegovy), known for their rapid weight-loss effect. This has opened the market for over 65 generic versions by various pharma companies and is expected to bring a drop in prices of these drugs by 50 per cent, and improving their access. Though GLP-1 drugs have been been reduced to only as \u2018weight-loss injections\u2019 in public consciousness, these have far more beneficial effects for a variety of medical ailments other than reduce weight rapidly.<\/p>\n
How these drugs work<\/strong><\/p>\n These drugs mimic the effect of GLP-1, a natural hormone released from the intestine after a meal. It signals the pancreas to release insulin, tells the brain that you are full, and slows down the emptying of the stomach. The result \u2014 you eat less, feel satisfied sooner, and experience fewer cravings, especially for sugary foods.<\/p>\n GLP-1 drugs are a lab-made version of this natural hormone. Unlike the natural GLP-1 that works for only a few minutes during and post-meal, the lab-made version works for a much longer period, that\u2019s why GLP-1 injections are taken once a week. But beyond mimicking these functions, the drugs also protect the body\u2019s vital organs.<\/p>\n Benefits to other organs<\/strong><\/p>\n In three major studies published in \u2018The New England Journal of Medicine\u2019 \u2014 SUSTAIN-6 (2016), SELECT (2023), and SOUL (2025) \u2014 when GLP-1 drugs were given to patients with obesity and heart disease or high risk of disease with or without diabetes, those given the drugs had fewer heart attacks, strokes, and even the death rate was less.<\/p>\n Another study called STRIDE, published in \u2018The Lancet\u2019 (May 2025) showed that benefits were not limited to the heart patients, as patients with peripheral blood vessel disease also showed improved outcomes.<\/p>\n In FLOW trial, whose results were published in \u2018The New England Journal of Medicine\u2019 in May 2024, patients with diabetes and kidney disease showed clear improvement.<\/p>\n In fatty liver disease, which can progress to cirrhosis and even liver cancer \u2014 studies such as LEAN (The Lancet, February 2016) and ESSENCE (\u2018The New England Journal of Medicine\u2019) showed reduced liver fat and improved liver health. Emerging evidence also suggests a potential role in slowing early cognitive decline, including Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n Some ongoing research says that these medicines may reduce cravings beyond food, including smoking and alcohol, pointing to a broader effect on the brain\u2019s reward system.<\/p>\n GLP-1 drugs are not just changing the way how people look \u2014 they may be changing how long and how well they live \u2014 by preventing damage to the heart, kidneys, liver, and brain before it becomes irreversible.<\/p>\n A word of caution<\/strong><\/p>\n However, the easy availability of these drugs also raises concern about their misuse for cosmetic purposes. People must understand that these are powerful prescription medicines, and not a lifestyle shortcut or cosmetic tool.<\/p>\n Also, not every patient with obesity, heart disease, or kidney issues needs these drugs. This decision should only be taken by a medical expert, as it is an individualised, evidence-based choice, based on a patient\u2019s case history.<\/p>\n For those using them purely for cosmetic weight loss, a note of caution \u2014 the weight loss achieved with these medicines is not permanent. Studies show that once these drugs are stopped, most people regain a significant portion of the lost weight. Moreover, the weight lost is not just fat as some muscle loss also occurs, which can negatively impact long-term health. That is why a healthy lifestyle remains non-negotiable, including:<\/p>\n A balanced, sustainable diet<\/p>\n Regular physical activity<\/p>\n And, importantly, strength training to preserve muscle<\/p>\n These medicines can support the process, but they cannot replace the fundamentals.<\/p>\n What studies show<\/strong><\/p>\n Large international clinical trials have shown that when people with obesity and high health risks are given semaglutide, there are multiple benefits.<\/p>\n \u2014 The writer is an endocrinologist, Fortis, Mohali<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ONE of my patients, Rajesh (52), a businessman, is a long-time diabetes patient. Despite being on multiple medications,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":865676,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4315],"tags":[246074,246075,246076,246077,17837,105,246078,246079,4326,370,16,15,10891,246080],"class_list":["post-865675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-medication","tag-diabetesmanagement","tag-fattyliverdisease","tag-healthierliving","tag-medicalbreakthrough","tag-glp1","tag-health","tag-hearthealth","tag-kidneyhealth","tag-medication","tag-ozempic","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-wegovy","tag-weightlossjourney"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116331570032963779","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=865675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865675\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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