Ozempic Might Be Much less Efficient for Emotional Eaters, Research Suggests

GLP-1 agonists—so-called “wonder medication” like Ozempic or Wegovy that assist people decrease blood sugar ranges and reduce weight, amongst different issues—yield vital outcomes for some sufferers, however not all. Individuals’s motivations to overeat might play a job on this, in line with a brand new research.

To research why some individuals don’t profit from GLP-1 agonists as a lot as others, researchers noticed 92 members with kind 2 diabetes in Japan throughout their first yr of taking GLP-1 medication. Their results, printed right now in Frontiers in Medical Diabetes and Healthcare, recommend that individuals who overeat attributable to exterior causes—such because the sight or odor of scrumptious meals—had better possibilities of responding nicely to the medication in the long run than individuals who overeat for emotional causes.

Who will profit most from GLP-1 medication?

“Pre-treatment evaluation of consuming habits patterns might assist predict who will profit most from GLP-1 receptor agonist remedy,” Daisuke Yabe, senior creator of the research and a professor of diabetes, endocrinology, and vitamin at Kyoto College, mentioned in a Frontiers assertion. “GLP-1 receptor agonists are efficient for people who expertise weight acquire or elevated blood glucose ranges attributable to overeating triggered by exterior stimuli. Nonetheless, their effectiveness is much less anticipated in instances the place emotional consuming is the first trigger.”

The group revealed this by gathering information on the members’ physique weight and composition, weight loss program, and data similar to blood glucose, levels of cholesterol, and relationship with meals at first of the remedy, three months after, and one yr after. They targeted on emotional consuming (consuming in response to adverse feelings), exterior consuming (consuming as a result of the meals appears good), and restrained consuming (controlling one’s weight loss program to reduce weight). Whereas it might sound contradictory, extreme restrained consuming can truly end in disordered consuming, in line with the researchers.

Over the yr, the members skilled a statistically vital lack of physique weight and lowered levels of cholesterol and physique fats share with out altering skeletal muscle mass. Whereas blood glucose ranges ameliorated, the advance wasn’t statistically vital. There have been, nevertheless, some variations relying on consuming behaviors. Three months after the beginning of the remedy, members reported extra restrained consuming and fewer exterior or emotional consuming. By the tip of the yr, although, members had returned to their unique restrained and emotional consuming habits.

“One doable clarification is that emotional consuming is extra strongly influenced by psychological components which will not be straight addressed by GLP-1 receptor agonist remedy,” mentioned Takehiro Kato, second creator of the article and a researcher from Gifu College, “People with distinguished emotional consuming tendencies might require extra behavioral or psychological help.”

Exterior consuming lessened over the yr of remedy

Individuals reported decreased exterior consuming all through the whole yr, and people that claimed excessive ranges of exterior consuming at first of the remedy noticed the best advantages in blood glucose ranges and weight reduction. Then again, the group didn’t determine any affiliation between emotional or restrained consuming scores at first and drug advantages by the 12-month mark.

“Whereas our research suggests a possible affiliation between exterior consuming habits and remedy response to GLP-1 receptor agonists, these findings stay preliminary,” defined Yabe. What’s extra, the group’s research was observational, and members self-reported data, which means the researchers revealed a possible affiliation, not a causation.

“Additional proof is important earlier than they are often applied in scientific observe. Ought to future large-scale or randomized managed trials validate this relationship, incorporating easy behavioral assessments may turn into a worthwhile part in optimizing remedy methods,” Yabe concluded.