Weekly jab can suppress appetite and increase weight loss fivefold, study finds

[ad_1]

A drug used to treat people with type 2 diabetes is also effective in helping obese people lose weight, according to a landmark study.

Semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempicand Rybelsus, has been given to adults with an average BMI of 38.

The 2.4 mg dose was administered by the participants themselves once a week as a subcutaneous injection, much like an insulin injection.

More than a third (35 percent) of people who took the drug lost more than a fifth of their total body weight.

Three-quarters (75%) of people who received semaglutide lost more than 10% of their body weight.

Researchers say the results are a game changer, as weight loss can be achieved in people who would otherwise need surgery.

Among those taking semaglutide, the average weight loss was 15.3 kg, with a reduction in BMI of minus 5.54.

The placebo group observed an average weight loss of 2.6 kg (0.4 stone) with a reduction in BMI of minus 0.92, more than five times less than those using the drug.

Scroll down the video

Semaglutide, sold under the brand names Ozempic and Rybelsus, has been given to adults with an average BMI of 38. More than a third (35 percent) of people who took the drug lost more than a fifth of their total body weight.

Being fat can PROTECT you from certain diseases

We’re regularly told to minimize the amount of saturated fat we eat, but a new study suggests that eating foods high in these fats may actually offer some protection against certain diseases.

Researchers have found that consuming foods high in saturated fat, including cakes, bacon, and cheese, may lower your risk of acute pancreatitis.

The U.S. team analyzed data from people in 11 countries on how different fats consumed by different nations – unsaturated or saturated – are linked to severe disease, where the pancreas becomes inflamed.

Saturated fats are found in butter, lard, fatty meats, and cheese – foods heavily consumed in Western societies – while unsaturated fats are mostly found in oils from plants and fish and are prevalent in diets. Asian and South American.

Scientists have found that high levels of unsaturated fat stored around abdominal organs further generate a certain type of molecule that triggers cell damage, inflammation, and even organ failure.

The official NHS advice is to replace saturated fat with unsaturated fat in our diets to reduce the risk of heart disease.

While this study does not question that advice, it does suggest that obesity can sometimes protect patients during certain types of acute illness.

This “obesity paradox” has already been suggested in a controversial manner in previous studies, but not without reaction from other experts.

The results are hailed for their potential to improve the health of obese people.

They could play a major role in helping the UK reduce the impact of diseases, such as Covid-19, experts suggest.

Semaglutide is already approved for use in humans, but it is normally prescribed for diabetics in a dose of 1 mg.

The latest study on semaglutide is currently in phase three trials with an increased dose of 2.4 mg.

With the evidence from this trial, semaglutide has been submitted for regulatory approval as a treatment for obesity to the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States.

The drug works by hijacking the body’s appetite regulating system in the brain, reducing hunger and calorie intake.

Nearly 2,000 people were recruited for the study in 16 countries, which lasted over a year and began in fall 2018.

Rachel Batterham, professor of obesity, diabetes and endocrinology at UCL, who is leading the research, said: “The results of this study represent a major breakthrough in improving the health of obese people.

“Three-quarters (75%) of people who received 2.4 mg of semaglutide lost more than 10% of their body weight and more than a third lost more than 20%.

“ No other drug has come close to producing this level of weight loss – it’s really a game changer.

“For the first time, people can achieve with drugs what was only possible with weight loss surgery.

Professor Batterham added that the drug could have major implications for UK health policy for years to come.

The average trial participant lost 15.3 kg (nearly three stones), according to the study published in the New England Journal for Medicine.

This has been accompanied by a reduction in waist circumference, blood fat, blood sugar and blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

UK lead investigator for the trial, Professor John Wilding of the University of Liverpool, said: ‘This is a significant breakthrough in the treatment of obesity.

“Semaglutide is already approved and used clinically at a lower dose for the treatment of diabetes, so as doctors we already know its use.

Among those taking semaglutide, the average weight loss was 15.3 kg, with a reduction in BMI of minus 5.54. The placebo group observed an average weight loss of 2.6 kg (0.4 stone) with a reduction in BMI of minus 0.92, more than five times less than those using the drug.

People in the study were given the drug or a placebo and also had access to one-on-one, face-to-face or phone counseling sessions with registered dietitians every four weeks, as well as counseling to help them. with behavioral strategies and motivation.

Additionally, participants were given incentives such as kettle bells or food scales to mark progress and milestones.

Some participants reported side effects from the drug, including nausea and mild to moderate diarrhea that were transient and usually resolved without discontinuing the study permanently.

Dr Baptiste Leurent of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in the study, says this will require close monitoring.

“We also need to better understand what happens after treatment is stopped and whether it can be taken for a shorter period of time,” he adds.

University of Reading health psychologist Dr Amelia Hollywood adds: “ It is promising to hear that there is another potential weight loss drug that can be offered to patients as currently the only one that has proven to be safe and effective is orlistat.

“This will be good news for clinicians and patients. However, it should be noted that individuals did not just inject this drug and lose weight, they also had to change their behavior.

OBESITY: ADULTS WITH A BMI OVER 30 ARE CONSIDERED OBESE

Obesity is defined as an adult with a BMI of 30 or more.

A healthy person’s BMI – calculated by dividing weight in kg by height in meters, and the answer by height again – is between 18.5 and 24.9.

In children, obesity is defined as being in the 95th percentile.

Percentiles compare young people to others of the same age.

For example, if a three-month-old is in the 40th percentile for weight, that means 40 percent of three-month-olds weigh the same or less as that baby.

In the UK, around 58% of women and 68% of men are overweight or obese.

The condition costs the NHS around £ 6.1bn, out of its budget of around £ 124.7bn, each year.

This is because obesity increases a person’s risk of having a number of life-threatening conditions.

These conditions include type 2 diabetes, which can cause kidney disease, blindness, and even limb amputations.

Research suggests that at least one in six hospital beds in the UK is occupied by a patient with diabetes.

Obesity also increases the risk of heart disease, which kills 315,000 people each year in the UK, making it the leading cause of death.

Carrying dangerous amounts of weight has also been linked to 12 different cancers.

This includes the breast, which affects one in eight women at some point in her life.

In children, research suggests that 70 percent of obese youth have high blood pressure or high cholesterol, which puts them at risk for heart disease.

Obese children are also much more likely to become obese adults.

And if children are overweight, their obesity in adulthood is often more severe.

In the UK, up to one in five children start school overweight or obese, rising to one in three by the age of 10.

[ad_2]

Source link