New drugs for weight loss, when they are needed and the risks of improper use

The costume test is approaching, but for lose a few pounds trouble to look for shortcuts by trying to obtain anti-diabetes drugsGLP1 agonists: in the limelight for some time on social media and beyond, where they are portrayed as miracle medicines for losing excessive sizes: they have precise instructions for use and in those who take them outside of these they can become dangerous. This is the message, loud and clear, that emerged from the meeting Courier Health «Antidiabetics that help you lose weight: who really needs them?», which was held in recent days (THE VIDEO can be seen here).

The risks of improper use (you can lose muscle mass)

As Anna Ludovica Fracanzani, professor of internal medicine at the University of Milan, explained: «Whoever takes these medications without a clinical need exposes himself to a greater risk of side effects, also because it generally does so without adequate medical supervision. Furthermore, any intervention to lose weightif it is not associated with a real lifestyle change, it is destined to fail. AND when the drugs are stopped the kilos return».
Even thinking about being able to tolerate the most common side effects, such as nausea and the persistent feeling of gastric fullnessthe consequences of a improper use they can be heavy: those who go to the gym and want to lose a little weight, for example, with Glp1 agonists can end up LOSE Instead valuable lean muscle mass.

Be careful when buying them online

Kilos buy online risks even bigger because, as Riccardo Candido, president of the Association of Diabetes Doctors (AMD), adds, «You can find everything on the web. Since 2020 there is also one oral formulation for these drugs, so it may happen that you purchase a product believing that it is a Glp1 agonist when it is a laxative; many Glp1 agonists are administered with subcutaneous injection pens, like this You can find pens online but they contain insulin. Extremely dangerous.”
A'inappropriate injection of this hormonenecessary for tissues to use glucose by taking it from the blood, can cause a marked decline of blood sugar which can even lead to coma or death: there is enough to keep away from online purchases and in general from the use of these drugs without a clinical indication.

Clinical indications

The approved clinical indications are well defined, as Candido observes: «The Glp1 agonists they come employees in people with type 2 diabetes, for which they were initially developed and studied, to control blood sugar when metformin (the drug of first choice in type 2 diabetes, ed) alone is not enough or cannot be used, or in those with diabetes and a high cardiovascular risk because for example he has already had a heart attack or a stroke.”
«Moreover today» intervenes Luca Busetto, vice-president of the European Association for the Study of Obesity (Easo), «a Glp1 agonist is prescribable (but not reimbursable by the Health Service as happens in the case of type 2 diabetes, ed) even to people with obesity and body mass index above 30 oh who has an index over 27 and cardiovascular problems. The dosages used to treat obesity are higher.”
These drugs can also be useful in metabolic syndromea condition associated with hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, overweight And liver damageon which they appear to have a positive effect reducing for example inflammation And hepatic fibrosis; however the diseases for which they can be used with the certainty of an optimal balance between benefits and risks they remain for now the type 2 diabetes and obesity, especially in cases of high cardiovascular risk. This is because it has been discovered that “Glp1 agonists reduce the probability of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular death: in the case of people with obesity, for example, the danger decreases by 20%”, says Busetto.

An unexpected effect as was the significant weight loss, with drugs created to control blood sugar but which are showing that they have quite a lot of potential: the important thing, however, is to be clear, as the three experts agree, that «you don't take Glp1 agonists to lose weight, even in the case of people with obesity: L'objective And reduce overall health risk».

How do they work

How do Glp1 agonists work? «Glp1 is the Glucagon-Like Peptide 1a hormone produced in the intestine after a meal to increase insulin production and avoid blood sugar spikes: the body prepares to face the increase in glucose in circulation before seeing it rise”, explains Riccardo Candido, president of AMD. “The diabetes 2 it is due to an increase in resistance to insulin by the tissues and a reduction in its production also due to a lower functionality of Glp1. If Glp1 does not produce enough insulin, it is administered as an analogue: Glp1 agonists act on the same natural hormone receptors on pancreatic cells, and increase insulin synthesis.”
In our country they have been approved since 2008 for diabetes 2: to reduce nausea and a sense of gastric fullness, the two most common side effects, you start with a low dosage until you reach the prescribed one, which is however lower than that for the treatment of diabetes. 'obesity.

They also act at the brain level

After a few years of use for type 2 diabetes it became clear that, in addition to reducing blood sugar, Glp1 agonists reduced weight. «The hormone Glp1 It also acts in the brain», explains Luca Busetto, Easo vice-president. «There are receptors for Glp1 in areas that regulate eating behavior such as the hypothalamus: using Glp1 agonists increases satiety while hunger, desire and pleasure in eating are reduced, elements altered in obesity: this is why you lose weight. With i New generation Glp-1 you also get to 16-20% weight loss». Glp1 receptors are being identified in numerous tissues, so studies continue to better understand its role: in addition to positive effects on the cardiovascular system and liver, an action on brain cells seems possible. «Glp1 is proving to be a very important hormone and it is necessary to fully understand all its functions», concludes Busetto.