{"id":369366,"date":"2025-11-10T14:41:16","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T14:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/369366\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T14:41:16","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T14:41:16","slug":"experts-reveal-a-drug-free-way-to-mimic-the-effects-of-ozempic-sciencealert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/369366\/","title":{"rendered":"Experts Reveal a Drug-Free Way to Mimic The Effects of Ozempic : ScienceAlert"},"content":{"rendered":"

Drugs like Ozempic have not only revolutionized the way we treat type 2 diabetes<\/a> and manage weight<\/a>, they’ve also revealed the power of our gut hormones<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now that we know signals from the gut to the brain<\/a> suppress the appetite and help control blood sugar levels, researchers are on the hunt for drug-free triggers.<\/p>\n

Medicines like Ozempic<\/a> are designed to mimic a natural “satiety hormone” that is produced by the gut, called GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1<\/a>). However, the synthetic version lasts longer in the body.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/b>Scientists May Have Discovered a Natural Alternative to Ozempic<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

No natural compound tested so far can exactly replicate the effects of these long-lasting injections, but early research indicates that certain foods, and the timing of their consumption, could still be useful.<\/p>\n

A team from Heliopolis University in Cairo, led by microbiologist Tohada AL-Noshokaty, wants to<\/a> “usher in a new age of GLP-1 regulation by tapping into nature’s resources.”<\/p>\n

“Patient compliance and quality of life could be greatly enhanced by using natural GLP-1 modulators, which may be easier on the body,” the authors suggest in a review<\/a> for Toxicology Reports published in June.<\/p>\n

“For populations with limited financial or other resources,” they add<\/a>, “natural remedies may provide a more accessible and less expensive alternative to conventional medicine.”<\/p>\n

Watch the video below for a summary of the research:<\/p>\n

\"YouTube frameborder=”0\u2033 allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen><\/p>\n

For their review, AL-Noshokaty and colleagues combed through the literature and found several examples of natural products that may have some of the same characteristics as GLP-1 drugs.<\/p>\n

The research is still preliminary, but the natural resources scientists are investigating<\/a> include cinnamon<\/a>, wheat, ginger<\/a>, fermented green tea, and a bitter plant compound called berberine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"NaturalExploring natural products that modulate GLP-1. (AL-Noshokaty et al., Toxicol. Rep., 2025)<\/p>\n

Because natural GLP-1 only sticks around in the body for a short period before it is broken down by enzymes, researchers think that eating<\/a> these natural compounds at certain times is key to reaping their benefits.<\/p>\n

In the last year, for instance, several<\/a> randomized<\/a> controlled trials have found that a ‘premeal’ of whey protein<\/a> (a by-product of the cheese-making process) can improve blood glucose and insulin levels for a short time thereafter.<\/p>\n

\"Win<\/a><\/p>\n

A trial<\/a> published in September 2025 randomized 18 individuals with obesity and without type 2 diabetes<\/a> to drink either whey protein or water 15 minutes before breakfast and again before lunch for four consecutive days.<\/p>\n

Those who drank the whey protein showed significantly reduced glucose levels after breakfast, with a modest appetite-suppressing effect at lunch.<\/p>\n

The possible mechanisms may involve effects on GLP-1 hormones, the authors of the trial hypothesize<\/a>, “that are secreted from the gastrointestinal tract and affect appetite by regulating digestive processes and neural signaling in the central nervous system.”<\/p>\n

\"InfographicSummary of GLP-1’s effects. CNS: central nervous system; CVS: cardiovascular system; GIT: gastrointestinal tract; GLP-1R: GLP-1 receptor<\/a>; VLDL: very low-density lipoprotein<\/a>. (AL-Noshokaty et al., Toxicol. Rep., 2025)<\/p>\n

Medicinal plants are also turning out to be fruitful areas of research. In August 2025, a review<\/a> found that flavonoids<\/a>, which contribute to bitter flavors in, say, citrus or hops<\/a>, can stimulate GLP-1 release, too.<\/p>\n

As can dietary fibers<\/a>. A systematic review and meta-analysis<\/a> published in September 2025 found that dietary fiber supplements benefit individuals who are overweight or obese by improving their blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity.<\/p>\n

It’s not yet clear how fibers achieve this, but the authors of the review suspect that they increase the release of gut hormones, like GLP-1, thereby stimulating insulin and suppressing appetite<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Related: Your Gut’s Methane-Making Microbes Could Secretly Turn Fiber Into Extra Calories<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Much more research is needed to understand how different foods<\/a> impact gut hormones, but together, these experiments suggest that there are natural and subtle ways<\/a> to trigger the same mechanisms as GLP-1 drugs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This leaves open the possibility that eating some types of natural foods at certain times of day can possibly protect against the development of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic issues<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It was only in the early 1990s<\/a> that researchers first infused<\/a> GLP-1 intravenously in a clinical trial<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Three decades later, we are still teasing apart the details of this crucial physiological mechanism, now responsible for some of the most popular drugs in the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The review from AL-Noshokaty and colleagues was published in Toxicology Reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Drugs like Ozempic have not only revolutionized the way we treat type 2 diabetes and manage weight, they’ve…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":369367,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[210,352,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-369366","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-msft-content","10":"tag-united-states","11":"tag-unitedstates","12":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115525930233474967","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=369366"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/369366\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/369367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=369366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=369366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=369366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}