Research

Hormonal

GLP-1 analog treatment (semaglutide and liraglutide) reduces short-term appetite, decreases energy intake, and lowers preference for energy-dense foods (high-fat, sweet, and salty) during the weight loss phase, primarily through mechanisms involving delayed gastric emptying and interaction with brain reward pathways.

GLP-1 medications like semaglutide and liraglutide reduce hunger and change food preferences, particularly reducing cravings for high-fat and sweet foods, during the initial 12-18 months of treatment. This leads to significant weight loss (up to 15%). Side effects like nausea are common but can be managed by starting with lower doses and increasing slowly.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
During the initial phase, patients are more likely to experience adverse gastrointestinal side effects such as nausea, vomiting diarrhea, and constipation... Semaglutide resulted in reduction of body weight of up to 15% over 12–18 months... Decreased meal size and decreased preference for energy-dense foods are thought to contribute to the reduced energy intake associated with GLP-1R analogs.
Sahana Bettadapura et al. · International Journal of Obesity · 2024

Why this rating

Based on multiple human studies (STEP 5, Blundell et al., Gibbons et al.) and animal models, though many rely on verbal reports.

Source

Changes in food preferences and ingestive behaviors after glucagon-like peptide-1 analog treatment: techniques and opportunities

Sahana Bettadapura et al. · International Journal of Obesity · 2024

DOI 10.1038/s41366-024-01500-y

narrative_reviewCited 41×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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