Obesity and Diabetes: They’re More Related than You Think. Medical weight loss Clinic Longmont and Ft. Collins, Colorado
Obesity and diabetes are both common, serious, and costly medical conditions. The annual medical costs for adults with obesity alone are > $2000 more than those with a healthy weight. Reports from the diabetes journal in 2022 showed that on average people with diabetes incurred annual expenditures of at least $19,736 of which $12,022 was directly attributed to diabetes.
About 2 in 5 adults in the United States are obese, and 1 in 3 are overweight. Roughly 2/3rds of adults in the United States are either obese or overweight. These numbers are staggering because obesity is strongly associated with diabetes and several other conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Diabetes can affect nearly every organ in the body. Left uncontrolled, it can cause heart disease (heart failure, heart attack), stroke, end-stage kidney disease, high cholesterol levels, nerve damage (neuropathy), eye damage (cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and blindness), digestion problems, erectile dysfunction, skin infections, frequent urinary tract infections, dental infections, and gum disease.
Our Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program at Aesthetics & Medical Lasers of Colorado uses a medication that mimics the body’s natural weight control hormone called Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) to help our patients lose that excess fat. This in turn will help minimize insulin resistance and the development of type 2 diabetes. The main role of GLP-1 is to regulate your appetite, digestion, and blood glucose while ensuring that you get just enough energy from your food. Because of its therapeutic effects, pharmaceutical companies have developed drugs that mimic GLP-1’s effects to treat obesity, prediabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. This is also an FDA-approved treatment for both weight loss and Type 2 Diabetes. Examples of GLP-1 agonists on the market include Semaglutide (Ryebelsus, Wegovy ®, and Ozempic ®), Exenetide (Byetta), Dulaglutide (Trulicity), Liraglutide (Victoza), Abiglutide (Tanzeum), and Tirzepatide (Mounjaro™).
How does GLP-1 work?
GLP-1 triggers the release of insulin, which in turn, allows your body to utilize the glucose derived from food as a source of energy. GLP-1 inhibits the secretion of glucagon, which is responsible for the release of glucose into the bloodstream from various body storage sites. It slows down the forward movement of the gut and reduces gastric acid secretion in the stomach, therefore slowing down the rate of digestion and stomach emptying. GLP-1 acts on the satiety-hunger center in the brain located in the hypothalamus to lessen the urge to eat more food. By cutting down on portion sizes, most patients are able to achieve their weight loss goals.
Semaglutide is a popular medication that belongs to a class of drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists. It is FDA- approved for weight loss management and the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. Semaglutide is sold under different brand names, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus.
- Semaglutide has been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, strokes, and kidney disease in people with Type 2 Diabetes.
It is administered as a once-weekly subcutaneous injection, or as a daily oral prescription. - The most common side effects of Semaglutide are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, acid reflux, indigestion, and constipation.
- Other potential side effects include pancreatitis, gall bladder dysfunction, vision changes, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), acute kidney injury, and allergic reactions.
Stop using Semaglutide at least 2 months before you plan to get pregnant. Controlling diabetes is very important during pregnancy, as is gaining the right amount of weight.
Losing weight during pregnancy could harm the unborn baby. Avoid the use of Semaglutide while breastfeeding. Semaglutide is not approved for use by anyone younger than 18 years old.
For more information about Semaglutide and whether it is the right choice for your weight loss management, contact us at (720) 818-0533 for more information!
by Roland Kafuuma, Internal Medicine, MD
