Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1s, are injectable medications that work by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone that your small intestine makes in response to food.
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GLP-1s are medications for type 2 diabetes and weight management that are injected daily or weekly. Sometimes GLP-1s that are approved for type 2 diabetes can be prescribed off-label for weight loss. “Off-label” means that the drug is being prescribed for a condition that it was not originally designed for. You should only take a drug off-label if your doctor gives you a full exam, knows your medical history, and thinks it’s a good idea for you, says Pichamol Jirapinyo, MD, MPH, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston and the cofounder of Bariendo weight loss clinics.The drugs mimic the action of an incretin hormone, or gut peptide, called GLP-1, which is secreted by the small intestine.
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“Our bodies have a natural process that kicks in after we eat, releasing a hormone from the small intestine called GLP-1,” says Michelle Pearlman, MD, a board-certified gastroenterologist and obesity medicine specialist with Prime Institute in Coral Gables, Florida. “This hormone plays a crucial role in managing our insulin levels and blood sugar and sends signals back to our brain to tell us that we are full.”GLP-1 helps to regulate blood sugar by encouraging more insulin to be released from the pancreas, says Monica Amin, PharmD, a pharmacist at Marley Drug and Medicure in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. GLP-1 also suppresses glucagon, a hormone that works opposite insulin to keep your blood sugar level from dropping too low.
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“Once blood sugar levels begin to increase following a meal, these medications help the body increase insulin production, thereby lowering blood sugar levels,” says Amin. “This decrease in blood sugar levels plays an important role in managing type 2 diabetes and leading to improved glucose control. GLP-1 agonists also cause weight loss by enhancing satiety [feelings of fullness], reducing appetite, and delaying stomach emptying, resulting in decreased calorie intake and potential weight reduction.”
Ibrahim Hanouneh, MD, a gastroenterologist and coauthor of Regenerative Health, says, “GLP-1 reduces the rate of food absorption from the intestine and takes away the ‘hangry’ feeling. Studies also suggest that GLP-1 has a positive impact in patients with fatty liver disease, and we anticipate using this medication for management of fatty liver disease in the near future.”