How Does Semaglutide Improve Diabetes and Promote Weight Loss?

Semaglutide is blowing up worldwide. Once only used as a treatment for diabetes, many people now receive the prescription for weight management purposes instead. In fact, researchers speculate that the wider-spread use of semaglutide and related drugs could result in 43 million fewer people with obesity in the United States over the next decade and prevent many complications related to both diabetes and obesity. 

In Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Physicians Weight Loss Center Highlands Ranch offers semaglutide as an anti-obesity prescription within comprehensive weight loss programs for people who are candidates to use the medication. Our team of medical weight loss experts is dedicated to helping you reach your health and wellness goals with or without injections like semaglutide and tirzepatide, a comparable weight loss medication. 

Before starting any medication, you should learn how it works for the purpose for which you intend to use it. We’ll start by teaching you about an important function in your gut and how semaglutide mimics one of the hormones involved. 

Understanding the gut

Semaglutide mimics a hormone that exists naturally within your gut called the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Your gut releases this hormone whenever you eat food, showing an uptick in the levels of this hormone around 10-15 minutes after you start eating. Levels of GLP-1 remain elevated for a few hours after you eat. 

Semaglutide and tirzepatide are both GLP-1 receptor agonists. They attach to the same cell receptors that receive the hormone itself, which leads to the same effects as the hormone. 

Semaglutide for weight loss 

GLP-1 is mainly responsible for making you feel full and telling you when to stop eating. It also slows down the emptying of your stomach so you can feel satiated for longer. This is a major reason why semaglutide, which acts like GLP-1, is effective for weight loss: It suppresses your appetite by making you feel like you can’t eat any more food. This makes it easier for you to commit to a low-calorie diet as your provider dictates at Physicians Weight Loss Center Highlands Ranch. 

You’ll find the most success using semaglutide if you follow a low-calorie diet and get a reasonable amount of exercise. Our team can create an individualized weight loss program just for you so you’re not left in the dark with a prescription alone. This includes regular monitoring appointments in the office with weigh-ins and counseling. 

How semaglutide works against diabetes

Semaglutide was originally only FDA-approved as a treatment for Type 2 diabetes. This is because GLP-1 and medications like semaglutide signal your body to produce more insulin, a hormone controlling your blood sugar. If you have Type 2 diabetes, your body uses insulin improperly and cannot adequately control your blood sugar levels. 

Unless you treat your diabetes to control your high blood sugar, your elevated glucose levels can lead to a myriad of health complications including:

• Heart disease
• Neuropathy (nerve damage)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Vision loss
• Gum disease
• Foot problems

Fortunately, taking semaglutide according to your physician’s instructions (and within a comprehensive wellness program) can lower your blood sugar. By doing so, it can prevent many dangerous diabetes complications including heart attack and stroke. 

Get in touch with us to learn more

Eager to learn more about semaglutide for weight loss or diabetes management? Find out if you’re a candidate for semaglutide injections by scheduling an appointment online or over the phone at Physician’s Weight Loss Center Highlands Ranch today.