In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of people struggling with obesity and related health conditions. While traditional methods such as diet and exercise can be effective for weight loss, they may not work for everyone. As a result, there are new forms of treatment for these conditions. While starting out being a treatment for patients suffering from diabetes, Semaglutide and Ozempic have emerged as promising treatments to help anyone achieve weight loss.
What is Semaglutide?
Semaglutide was first developed to treat patients suffering from weight-related health conditions and seeking weight loss. It is a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which means that it mimics the effects of a natural hormone found in the body called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). GLP-1 is naturally produced by the body and helps it regulate blood sugar levels as well as other causes of weight gain such as cravings and appetite. It also slows down the body’s natural process of emptying the stomach, which then leads to an elongated feeling of fullness and therefore results in reduced food intake in patients seeking to lose weight. Semaglutide therapy, administered in weekly injections, binds to the GLP-1 receptor and activates all its benefits for weight loss.
What is Ozempic?
Ozempic is a medication that is also part of the GLP-1 receptor agonist class. The active ingredient in Ozempic is Semaglutide. While Semaglutide was developed to target weight loss and weight-related health issues specifically, Ozempic was designed to treat and target symptoms of type 2 Diabetes. However, the FDA approved Ozempic as a treatment for chronic weight management in March 2021, specifically in adults with a BMI (body mass index) of 27 or greater or, those who have at least one weight-related condition, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol. As a treatment for weight loss, its administration and benefits are similar to Semaglutide, as it is a brand name for the same medication.
How Does Semaglutide Promote Weight Loss?
Semaglutide works by targeting the body’s natural metabolic pathways to promote weight loss. The benefits of both Semaglutide and Ozempic for weight loss are significant. Studies have shown that users of these medications can lose up to 15% of their body weight within a year of starting treatment. This weight loss can lead to significant improvements in overall health, including a reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other obesity-related health conditions.
Promoting Loss of Body Fat
Many believe that losing weight, and therefore losing fat, is all up to the person and their determination. In truth, each body is different. In some cases the body will actively prevent one from losing weight, such as slowing down the process in which the body passes food through, keeping beneficial nutrients and discarding waste. You may know this process as the body’s metabolism, and when the body slows this process down in response to losing weight, or increases release of hunger-causing hormones to gain its weight back, it can seem like the body is working against you. However, Semaglutide addresses these underlying factors by doing the exact opposite and helping patients get to their desired weight. Semaglutide speeds up metabolism and works with receptors in the brain to change the way our brain, and therefore our bodies, respond to these factors. Additionally, Semaglutide increases energy expenditure, which refers to the amount of energy each person needs to perform basic bodily functions. If energy expenditure is lower, fewer calories are burned, therefore resulting in the gain of weight. Furthermore, Semaglutide lowers blood sugar, which allows one to burn fat more efficiently.
Reducing Appetite
Throughout your Semaglutide treatment, dosage will increase steadily. Most results can be seen with higher dosage of Semaglutide, wherein it works with receptors in the brain to actively reduce appetite. As mentioned before, Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor activator. This receptor signals not only appetite, but also food reward. Therefore, the results are a decreased appetite, easily suppress cravings, and a healthier mental association with food. In addition, Semaglutide prevents the typical increases in appetite that would normally be expected after significant or substantial weight loss. When receptors of the brain sense that the body is losing weight, they can give out a reaction that causes an increase of appetite, to try to gain the lost weight back. With the treatment actively decreasing appetite, and putting a stop to the body’s natural response to this decrease, Semaglutide treatment works to suppress appetite impressively.
Improving Insulin Sensitivity
Insulin, another naturally occurring hormone, allows your body to use blood sugar for energy. However, if insulin is not made or released correctly, it could result in weight gain or even diabetes. Semaglutide stimulates insulin sensibility while also reducing insulin resistance, leading to healthy blood sugar levels. With high levels of blood sugar come a range of conditions and symptoms, such as fatigue, blurred vision, and increased thirst or even life-threatening conditions. However, Semaglutide supports a healthy balance of blood sugar and therefore weight loss, healthy heart function, as well as brain function. Insulin is especially crucial for patients with diabetes, who also often struggle with weight because of high blood sugar levels. For example, patients with type 2 diabetes are able to produce insulin, but not respond to it. Semaglutide increases the patient’s response to insulin, but at the same time combats the weight gain diabetes patients may experience as a side effect when taking insulin.
