Dr. Betty Murray explains how GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide work: they mimic a gut hormone that signals fullness, slows digestion, and increases energy burn. Most people lose 10-20% of body weight over six to twelve months, though women average 10.9% loss versus 6.8% for men on the same dose.
Women lose more weight on a GLP-1 drug than men. So what does GLP-1 stand for? It's glucagon-like peptide 1. It's a hormone that is made in our gut. Our gut microbiome helps it, and it tells your brain when you're full or not. And so it sets off sort of satiety and hunger signals, and it slows down also how fast food leaves your stomach. So gastric emptying, and it improves how your body handles blood sugar, particularly at the lining of the intestines that crossover zone. And it also then increases how much energy our body will actually burn. And then GLP-1 receptor agonists are drugs that mimic that hormone. These bind to that same receptor. So this is that semaglutide. And if we see the averages, the weight loss is between 10 and 20% of your body weight over the course of about 6 months to a year. It's not small, and it's also not 20 pounds in 30 days. Right? So we have to be realistic about the outcome. And we also know that slower weight loss, appropriate weight loss without starvation, actually results in less weight regain if you stop the medications. But this is where it becomes crucial. Women lose more weight on a GLP-1 drug than men. All right. So a recent meta-analysis found that a woman loses an average of 10.9% of their body weight while men only lose 6.8%. Same drug, same mechanism, different outcome.
