Hormonal
GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) such as liraglutide and semaglutide facilitate significant weight loss and maintenance by acting on central nervous system receptors to reduce appetite and hunger, increase satiety, and alter food reward pathways, rather than solely through gastrointestinal side effects.
GLP-1 medications like semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda) are highly effective for weight loss because they work on your brain to reduce hunger and increase fullness, not just by making you sick. They are taken by injection, either daily or weekly, and work best when combined with a healthy diet and exercise. Side effects like nausea are common at first but usually go away, and you can manage them by starting with a low dose and increasing it slowly.
GLP-1RA treatment is associated with reductions in appetite and lower preference for energy-dense foods, alteration in food reward pathways, decrease in food cravings, and improvement in eating control... GLP-1 directly stimulates POMC/CART neurons and indirectly inhibits neuropeptide Y (NPY) and agouti-related peptide (AgRP) to increase measures of satiety and decrease hunger.
Why this rating
Based on multiple phase III randomized controlled trials (STEP 1, STEP 3, SCALE) cited in the review.
Source
Weight Loss and Maintenance Related to the Mechanism of Action of Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists
Jamy D. Ard et al. · Advances in Therapy · 2021
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