Marketers are quick to use the term game-changer — often too quick — which can make figuring out what truly is game-changing a challenge. Well, we’re here to tell you that a new class of weight loss medications called GLP-1 agonists are earning this lofty description.
For the nearly 1 in 3 American adults who are overweight and the 2 in 5 adults who have obesity, losing weight is the best step they can take to improve their health, but it’s not an easy step. Until now.
As heart health and primary care specialists, Dr. Ariel Soffer and our team at Soffer Health Institute are all too familiar with the incredibly long list of health and wellness issues that stem from carrying excess weight, and we want to help. While we’ve always offered comprehensive weight loss services, we’re thrilled to include GLP-1 agonist medications that are helping our patients to finally declare victory in their weight loss journeys.
So, if you’ve been on the hamster wheel of dieting and your results have been disappointing, read on to learn whether GLP-1 agonist medications can finally give you the boost you need to reach your weight loss goals.
What’s so great about this new class of weight loss medications is that they work with your body’s biology to help you safely and effectively lose weight.
The active ingredient in these medications is a GLP-1 agonist, which is something that mimics or creates the same action as a naturally occurring substance in your body. In this case, the medications are copying the actions of GLP-1 hormones that are produced in your small intestine. These hormones:
When we introduce GLP-1 agonist medications, they bind to the same receptors as your natural GLP-1 to lower your blood sugar levels and help you lose weight.
Since GLP-1 agonist medications were first approved by the FDA about a decade ago to control diabetes, the weight loss effects have been impressive, prompting the FDA to expand its approval to include obesity. These medications include brand names you might recognize and that we offer here: Ozempic®, Wegovy®, and Mounjaro®.
As we’ve seen, GLP-1 medications work on many levels to help you lose weight — they trigger insulin, slow digestion, and help with satiety, all of which can make you eat less than usual and lose weight.
There are ample studies on the efficacy of GLP-1 agonists and lifestyle changes in helping people to lose weight, with outcomes that range from 10 pounds to 33 pounds or more. It might be more telling to present results in terms of percentages — GLP-1 agonist medications help people to lose between 5% and 10% of their overall body weight, on average.
Our own experiences here at Soffer Health Institute have been nothing short of terrific. We’ve seen patients shed their unwanted pounds more easily with GLP-1 agonist medications, and we feel confident that it can do the same for many other people who struggle with their weight.
We also offer compounded versions of the medications that are more affordable if your insurance doesn't cover them.
If you’d like to see whether you’re a good candidate for GLP-1 agonist medications to help you lose weight, we invite you to come in and sit down with one of our weight loss experts. To get that ball rolling, please contact one of our offices in Weston or Hollywood, Florida, to set up a consultation.
