New Guidelines Recommend GLP-1 Medications for Targeted Obesity Complications
Recent guidelines are shaping how โคobesity and its related healthโข issues are treated, with a focus on utilizing medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide – drugs belonging to the GLP-1 agonist โขclass – in aโฃ more targeted manner. Dr.Andreea ciudin of Vall d’Hebronโค University Hospital in Barcelona, a co-author of the โฃguidelines, emphasized that while these recommendations areโค valuable, they shouldn’t replace a doctor’sโ comprehensive clinical judgment.
The guidelines, developed after analyzing clinical trial data on weight loss, safety, โand effectiveness in the presence of specificโค complications, suggest specific drugs โขas first-line โtreatments for particular conditions.โข For patients โsuffering from obstructive sleep apnea due to excess โขadipose tissue, tirzepatide is recommended. Semaglutide is suggested forโ those experiencing knee osteoarthritis.
Beyond addressingโ the physical consequences of obesity, the guidelines also offerโข recommendations for โconditionsโ linked to metabolic and โฃimmune dysfunction. Semaglutide is favored for โindividuals with a history of heart disease or stroke. Tirzepatide is recommendedโฃ for those with non-alcoholic fatty liverโ disease, while either tirzepatide or semaglutide can be usedโ for patients with prediabetes or type 2 โdiabetes. It’s crucial โto note that these drugs were originally developed โขto manage โคtype 2 diabetes.
The authors acknowledge the high cost of these medications and stress that the long-term costs of not treating obesity – allowing itโ to progress and cause organ damage – should be equally considered in healthcare decisions.
The guidelines also highlight that obesity managementโฃ should extend beyond weight loss andโ complication treatment, encompassing improvementsโ in mental well-being,โค physical fitness, social functioning, and overall quality of life. While many newer medications haven’t been specifically tested for individual complications, โฃthe observed weight loss โขhas consistently correlated with improvements โin various health issues. Researchers believe these drugs may positively impact conditions like chronic kidney disease, neurodegenerative diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome, โขcertain cancers,โค and mental health conditions.
Professorโ Volkan Yumuk, President of the European โฃAssociation for the Study of Obesity (EASO), stated โthe institution plans to regularly update the treatment algorithm to reflect the rapidly โคevolving research in obesity medications.
However, โฃother organizations caution thatโข medication alone isn’t enough. โฃ The American College of Lifestyle Medicine, the American Society for Nutrition, the โObesity Medicine Association,โฃ and The โฃobesity Society jointly advised in June that GLP-1 treatment โ must be combinedโ with nutritional and โขlifestyle interventions. โThey point to potentialโ challenges with GLP-1s, including gastrointestinal side effects, nutrient โฃdeficiencies, muscle and bone โloss, high โcosts, discontinuation, and weight regain, highlighting the need for a holistic approach.
