Texas is among at least 20 states with obesity rates above 35%.
Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy have recently gained popularity as people struggle to lose weight.
KERA’s Sam Baker discussed these and other weight loss treatments with Dr. Jaime Almandoz, an endocrinologist who heads the Weight Wellness Center at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
So, medications like Wegovy, Ozempic, Zepbound, and Mounjaro? These are GLP-1 or encryption-based type proteins that are naturally produced in the intestines.
When we eat, they simulate having food in our system. So, it tells our brain that there's already food there. So, we have less hunger and fewer cravings, but they also decrease the speed with which our stomach empties. So, we feel satisfied with less food for longer.
What, if anything, concerns you about these drugs?
The primary side effects that we see with this class of medications can be nausea because of the way in which it decreases the speed at which the stomach empties. How we avoid side effects with these medications, primarily around nausea, is giving people dietary education on how to eat in a way that supports healthier weight and making sure that they get the nutrition that they need to be healthy as they go on their weight loss journey.
Would you recommend something like Ozempic to a patient, even though isn't that mainly intended for diabetes patients?
Sure. So, Ozempic is semaglutide which is approved for treating diabetes under the brand name Ozempic and for treating obesity or excess body weight under the brand name Wegovy. Similarly, there's a medication cultures appetite that's approved for treating diabetes under the brand name Mounjaro and treating obesity under the brand Zepbound. These are similar medications, but they have trade names for treating diabetes and trade names for treating obesity, but they're the same drug.
I was wondering if diet and exercise is still the first step recommended for wanting to deal with obesity.
Healthy lifestyle, including physical activity and nutrition, will always be foundational for health and healthy weight.
However, for the majority of people living with obesity and excess weight, going on a diet and increasing physical activity is not enough to get them to a healthier weight and to keep them there long term.
So, using medications such as this can be really revolutionary in helping people to achieve that healthier weight and stay there for longer.
How do you decide which one to choose? Be it that or even a treatment like even surgery?
So, what we do is we talk about patients with regards to what their goals are regarding their health, their quality of life, and their body weight. We're not just here to help people to lose weight. We're here to help people achieve better health.
So, what we want to do is incorporate where they need to be in terms of improving their health, be it to decrease their blood sugars. If they have type two diabetes, be it if they want to have better control of their blood pressure or to decrease the risk of heart attack and stroke.
What's great about interventions like bariatric surgery and these newer medications such as semaglutide, is that there's great data that shows that for people who lose weight using interventions like surgery, medications like this can dramatically improve not just their body weight, but also their health and their risk for heart attack and stroke and diabetes.
Do those approaches keep the weight off for you, or is it still back to healthy lifestyle to maintain what you've achieved?
Well, we treat with medications and we get the weight down to a healthier range, we know that when we stop the medications, the weight goes back up, too. So really what we need to do is look at treating obesity like the chronic disease it is with a combination of lifestyle modification as a foundation with the addition of more advanced therapies like medications or surgeries if needed.
RESOURCES:
Wegovy and other weight loss drugs shows promise for heart disease
Weight Loss Drug Wegovy Can Also Reduce Risk of Serious Heart Events, Study Shows
Prescription weight-loss drugs: Study the pros and cons of medicines to treat obesity.
How Obesity In The U.S. Has Grown And What To Do About It
Study finds Texas has one of the highest obesity rates in U.S.
