What Is GLP-1 and Why Is Everyone Talking About It?

How GLP-1 Affects Appetite and Blood Sugar

GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1. It is a natural hormone produced primarily in the intestine that helps regulate blood sugar, digestion, and appetite. GLP-1 slows gastric emptying, increases satiety, enhances glucose-dependent insulin secretion, and reduces glucagon secretion after meals.

GLP-1 is produced by the body. GLP-1 drugs act like GLP-1 (or partially like it), binding to GLP-1 receptors and producing similar physiologic effects. The drug may suppress appetite, but it does not necessarily retrain eating behavior, improve food quality, preserve muscle mass, normalize the microbiome, or correct the environmental and metabolic drivers that contributed to weight gain in the first place.

GLP-1 Drug Side Effects and Risks

Skeletal muscle loss can account for 15% to 25% of total weight reduction [1].
Patients consistently regain most of their lost weight within one to two years of stopping the medication. Multiple landmark studies demonstrate that discontinuing GLP-1 and dual-agonist medications leads to significant weight regain and the reversal of cardiometabolic benefits [2].
Common side effects include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain.
Potential serious side effects include gastroparesis, intestinal obstruction, severe hypoglycemia, gallbladder and biliary disease, kidney injury, and allergic reactions.

Is There a Natural Ozempic?

First, to be clear, there is no natural “Ozempic”; the drugs are more powerful than any single thing we can do naturally. That doesn’t mean we can’t influence GLP 1 naturally. There is much that can be done with lifestyle and supplements to control satiety and promote weight loss. The good news is that nothing we do naturally can do the damage the drugs are capable of. We can, however, make several small changes. Part 2: Natural GLP 1 enhancement.