Excess body weight and obesity are common health issues of present day which are, unfortunately, perceived less often as a disease among the general population and more often as: Ah, they like to eat well. Perhaps that is exactly why, in the past, medicines for these diseases were poorly developed and had limited effects. On the other hand, today many studies on weight show quite impressive results, including one American study that compared two antidiabetic drugs – semaglutide and tirzepatide.
How do these drugs work?
While the United States of America ranks tenth in the world in terms of obesity prevalence of 36,2%, research is being conducted there in order to somewhat improve such devastating data. Two drugs – semaglutide and tirzepatide, which are used to treat poorly controlled type 2 diabetes, were compared for their effectiveness in reducing body weight. Adult study patients who used tirzepatide injections lost more body weight than those who were injected with semaglutide.
Both drugs are glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA), while tirzepatide is also a gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) agonist. The GLP-1 receptor is a target because one of the roles of this peptide is to increase insulin secretion and decrease glucagon secretion from the pancreas. Gastric inhibitory protein is a weak inhibitor of gastric acid secretion, but it is important in terms of these drugs because it stimulates insulin secretion. Thus, both mentioned targets have an important role in the physiology of insulin, the deficit of which is the most important characteristic of diabetes. Due to the close connection between type 2 diabetes and obesity, these drugs have also found use in obesity treatment.
What do the experts say?
Dr. Rodriguez and her team who conducted this study included 18,000 patients in it, and slightly more than half had type 2 diabetes. During the study, some patients stopped taking the therapy. However, those who have taken it until the end achieved very noticeable results. After twelve months of therapy, users of tirzepatide lost an average of 15% of body weight, and users of semaglutide lost 8%.
Naturally, the results would probably have been somewhat different if a certain number of subjects had not stopped the therapy during the study, but this does not change the fact that tirzepatide has shown to be far more effective. Many subjects reported side effects so 1 out of 5 people experienced nausea and vomiting, and gallstones appeared in 1 out of 6 people. However, although there is an evident difference in the effectiveness of these two drugs, the number of side effects was the same.
Another interesting thing is that the greater loss of body mass occurred in subjects who did not suffer from diabetes. An expert in the treatment of diabetes and obesity, Dr. Adeyemo from the University of California, concludes that it is important to adapt the therapy to the individual patient. Patients who cannot tolerate GLP-1 RA should not be excluded either, so it is necessary to resort to other groups of drugs. Likewise, the doctor claims that both drugs will surely find their place under the sun because, in addition to helping with weight loss, they are primarily indicated for the treatment of diabetes and they also show a positive effect in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. It should also be emphasized that still none of these drugs are indicated in the treatment of obesity, rather only type II diabetes.
Better safe than sorry
Obesity is a disease about which awareness has been increasing in recent years, and public opinion about this disease is slowly changing. Apart from the fact that obesity brings about aesthetic issues, it represents a risk for the development of numerous chronic diseases and premature death. In order to prevent such outcomes, studies like this American one are important because they enable the expansion of insights and knowledge about already existing drugs, but also encourage the development of new ones. However, what each of us can do is to eat a balanced diet and engage in physical activity, as this is the best medicine but also prevention of excess body weight.
Translated by: Nina Šlopar
Literature
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