The effectiveness of competing weight loss medication in the treatment of obesity, diabetes and more

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an Series of Medicines that cause impressive weight loss , the treatment of obesity has revolutionized-and consumers have given an unprecedented selection of therapies for losing weight. Now research begins to reveal how these medication could differ from each other, Although they function in a similar way .

semaglutide, Tirzepatide and other recently developed medication for the treatment of obesity and metabolic disorders partially work by imitation of a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1) . However, studies have shown that the medication in their ability to to prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes 1 distinguish and that some lead to greater weight loss than other 2 . There are also differences between these drugs and an older generation of GLP-1 medication, whereby investigations indicate that some of the previous medication against neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease ^{3 could be later medication.}

The understanding of the differences could help doctors to better adapt treatments, says Beverly Tchang, an endocrinologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York City. "For example, if someone suffers from heartbeat, I tend to go for Semaglutid first, more than to Tirepatide, because we have the data," she says, referring to a study 4 , which showed that Semaglutid The risk of serious cardiovascular events in people with such diseases . But the choice could be different for someone with sleep apnea, she says, citing a study 5 Tirzatide The symptoms of sleep apnea in people with obesity reduced.

comparison

The best -selling weight -reducing medication includes Semaglutid, sold as Ozempic and Wegovy, and Tirzpeatid, sells as a mounjaro and zepbound. A study 1 Type 2 diabetes is in people with obesity. Another analysis 2 came to the conclusion that tirepatide in people with overweight and obstacle with greater weight loss was connected as a Semaglutid. Researchers are now looking forward to the results of a Controlled study that SEMAGLUTID compares to weight loss and will provide a definitive answer than the previous retrospective studies.

Both semaglutid and tirzepatide ahmen GLP-1, which is involved in the regulation of blood sugar levels and the appetite suppression . This imitation enables the medication to activate receptors that are normally activated by GLP-1.

tirzatide also adds another hormone called gastroin inhibitory peptide (GIP), which plays a role in fat metabolism. This activates Tirzepatide receptors, which are usually activated by both GLP-1 and GIP.

However, it would be a simplification to assume that the supposed higher potency of Tirzepatide is due to the fact that it aims to target two hormones instead of one, says Tchang. Tirzatide "does not activate the GLP-1 and GIP receptors alike," she says. Instead, the drug binds the GIP receptor more effectively than to the GLP-1 receptor. A hypothesis states that the Gip activity of Tirepatide increases the weight loss caused by GLP-1, although its GLP-1 receptor activation is weaker.

A experimental drug developed by the biotechnology company Amgen, based in Thousand Oaks, California, also aims at receptors for both GLP-1 and GIP. In contrast to Tirepatide, this drug does not block the receptors. The medication achieved promising results in weight loss in an early clinical study 6 .

Scientists are now trying to explain why a striking weight loss is achieved by activating the GIP and GLP-1 receptors as well as by activating the GLP-1 receptors and blocking the GIP receptors. "There are theories and people are working on it, but I think we should be a little modest and admit that there are still things that we do not fully understand," says Daniel printer, endocrinologist at the University of Toronto in Canada.

rescue of the brain

GLP-1 medication not only leads to weight loss, but also relieve inflammation , which could partially explain why they have potential to contribute to slowing down neurodegenerative diseases. Both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease contain brain inflammation.

In a small clinical study, the GLP-1 drug exenatide improved the symptoms of people with moderate Parkinson's disease 3 . Exenatide was the first GLP 1 drug on the market and received the approval of the US Food and Drug Administration in 2005. A small study on a GLP 1 medication called Liraglutid slowed down cognitive dismantling in people with mild Alzheimer's disease by up to 18% over the course of a year.

Some researchers believe that the better an GLP 1 medication penetrates the brain, the better it could treat neurodegenerative diseases. So far, however, it has not been clear how far these medication gets into the brain, but animal experiments 7 indicate differences between the GLP-1 medication in this regard.

For example,

exenatide seems to overcome the blood-brain barrier, a protective shield that controls which substances can get into the brain from the blood flow. Christian Hölscher, neurologist at the Henan Academy of Innovations in Medical Science in Zhengzhou, China, wrote the initial success of the medication in the treatment of the Parkinson's disease of this ability.

he notes that a version of exenatide that was modified to remain in the blood for longer did not have the same success in the treatment of Parkinson's disease as the original version 8 . The modified version is a much larger molecule that cannot get into the brain. "This really shows how important it is to get the drug in the areas in which the damage is if you want to improve and protect the neurons," he says. He also notes that studies indicate that Semaglutid cannot overcome the blood-brain barrier. "Therefore, the latest medication available on the market are very unlikely to show very good effects at Alzheimer's or Parkinson's."

But other researchers do not share this opinion. "I don't think we have very good data that creates a correlation between the penetration of the brain and the activity in neurodegenerative diseases," says printer.