Ozempic, Wegovy Can Change How Food Tastes, Especially Sweets

Semaglutide, or Ozempic, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist. Before it is used as a medicine for type 2 diabetes, it lowers blood sugar levels.

Semaglutide also reduces appetite and slows digestion, leading to less food intake and weight loss. Because obesity has been a challenge for many, and few medications help with weight loss, this drug has taken the world by storm.

Health line spoke with Mir Ali, MD, a board-certified bariatric surgeon and medical director of the MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA.

“These drugs are more effective than previous drugs because they directly target hormones that help the patient feel less hungry and fuller for longer,” he explained.

We all tend to enjoy foods high in fat and sugar – these chemicals are the fuel of life. So, when we eat them, our brain “rewards” us with great happiness.

In today’s Western societies, fat and sugar are more readily available than they were thousands of years ago.

However, our brains have yet to come into contact with the modern food environment and its amazing array of brightly colored, highly palatable foods and drinks.

Easily accessible from a phone screen, we’re constantly overwhelmed by the possibilities of adding these delicious, high-calorie ingredients. Research has found that the more of these foods we eat, the less sensitive we are to them, which may be part of the risk of obesity.

For example, previous research has shown that people with obesity are poor hearing to good tastes, but they are also very attracted to them. Meanwhile, animal studies have shown that GLP-1 signals plays a role in the sense of taste, and the taste is especially good.

Because of these interesting relationships, some researchers have wondered whether the change in taste perception may play a role in the weight loss effects of semaglutide.

Although scientists know that semaglutide mimics the hormones that tell the brain that you are full, this may not be the only way it reduces appetite and drives weight loss. bodies.

There is increasing evidence that semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonists can also alter the way people taste.

In a recent study, Sever and colleagues recruited 30 obese women with an average age of 34. Half took semaglutide once a week, the other replace the placebo.

At the beginning and end of the 16-week study, the scientists measured three things:

1. Sense of taste: It is measured using skeletons infused with four basic tastes – sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
2. Gene Description: By taking biopsies of the participants’ tongues.
3. Brain responses: It was tested by an MRI scan that works when a sweet solution is dripped on their tongue before and after a meal.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that those taking semaglutide were more concerned about cravings than those taking the placebo.

According to the abstract, tongue biopsies showed increased activity of genes associated with “taste modulation channels, neural plasticity, and taste regeneration in the tongue.”

Finally, brain scans showed that, due to tasting a sweet solution, there was increased activity in the angular part of the parietal cortex.

This area of ​​the brain plays a complex part. Angular gyrus integrates information from different senses and helps to understand events or stimuli.

The angular gyrus of the parietal cortex contains GLP-1 receptors, and as the authors of the article write, it is part of the “network involved in the modulation between rewarding and negative stimuli.” neutral.”

This change in the angular gyrus can alter a person’s perception of the reward associated with pleasant tastes. In this way, it can support dietary changes and lead to a healthy weight.

We should note that this is a proof-of-concept study conducted on a small group of people.

As Sever explains, because the research was done in a laboratory, “it may not reflect everyday experience. Taste perception can vary greatly from person to person, reducing the clarity of the results ours.”

Although the weight loss results associated with semaglutide have been impressive, the drug is only suitable for certain people.

Semaglutide has become fashionable in some groups, which raises concerns with experts. Health line recently spoke with Federica Amati, PhD, postdoctoral scientist and head nutritionist at ZOE, a science and nutrition company.

“Although semaglutide works very well for some people,” explains Amati, who was not involved in the study, “it is not without its problems.”

“You should only take it if you have been prescribed by a doctor for the benefit of a multidisciplinary team that includes psychotherapy, physical exercise, and important dietary advice.”

He explained why eating a healthy diet is especially important: Because semaglutide suppresses appetite, unless a person eats a healthy, varied diet, there is a risk that may lose important nutrients.

“Also, it’s a prescription for life,” Amati continued, “people who come off of it tend to gain weight back, so it’s not a quick fix. And more than a third of people experience side effects.”

Although most of these side effects are mild, Amati pointed out that “they can be very bothersome.”

Semaglutide can change the way people see good things.

This can help reduce weight. However, although it works for many people, semaglutide is not without its problems and should be used with caution.