Study Review- Wegovy for Weight Loss Treatment
As we explained in the previous post, injectable weight loss medications for the treatment of type 2 diabetes are becoming more popular. There are a number of different injectable medications for this use, however research is now looking into which ones, if any, are effective and safe for use in weight loss without diabetes.
Wegovy is a very commonly used injectable for type 2 diabetes treatment that activates the GLP-1 receptor. The GLP-1 receptor plays a role in recognizing when glucose is being eaten and initiates the release of insulin to store the glucose and maintain blood sugar levels. Wegovy has been shown to be effective in reducing type 2 diabetes alongside the use of diet and exercise by increasing weight loss in the long term.
Studies have found that Wegovy has a low risk of drug to drug interactions, but could have an impact on absorption of oral medications because it slows down gastric emptying. There is also an increased risk of gallbladder-related issues, especially gallstones. Studies also find that Wegovy increases heart rates by about 1 to 4 beats per minute, however that is outweighed by the benefits of decreasing other cardiovascular disease risks. It was found that the combination of Wegovy and exercise had a lower increase of heart rate and lower prevalence of gallbladder issues than groups that just took Wegovy and did not change exercise habits.
2021 Study-
A study conducted in 2021 looked at the effectiveness of Wegovy for treatment of obesity in people without type 2 diabetes. However, 75 percent of participants in the study did have at least one co-existing condition, including pre-diabetes.
The study did find that Wegovy had a significantly higher rate of weight loss compared to the control group (14.9% using Wegovy versus 2.4% in the control group). However, there were more people in the Wegovy group that stopped treatment after the 68 week trial because of the side effects. The most common side effects reported were nausea and diarrhea. The results also showed 87.1% of participants using Wegovy reverted from pre-diabetes back to normal blood glucose levels, while 47.8% in the control group saw a revert back to normal blood sugars.
The results do suggest that Wegovy is very effective for reducing blood sugar levels from pre-diabetes levels back to normal levels and is effective for weight loss when used alongside diet and exercise. However, this study was heavily funded by pharmaceutical companies, which presents a major conflict of interest and results can not be fully trusted. There also have been no long term studies to look at sustained weight loss or regain after stopping the medication or at what point the medication stops being effective.
Written by Meghan Hawley, Ellen Byron and Associates
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