WHO recommends GLP-1 for treating obesity. What is it?
The World Health Organisation on Monday conditionally recommended the use of GLP-1 therapies as part of long-term treatment for obesity, issuing its first guidelines on the same.
The first conditional recommendation made by WHO advises the use of GLP-1 drugs by adults, barring pregnant women, for long-term treatment of obesity. The second suggests pairing the drugs with a healthy diet and physical activity, Reuters reported.
The move comes even as the demand for the class of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists rose across the world, with governments trying to figure how to include these therapies in their public health systems.
What are the GLP-1 agonists?
The Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1s, are a type of medicine administered to people with diabetes. The drugs can help lower blood sugar levels, as well as help with weight loss and protect the heart and kidneys, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
These work by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone that is naturally released in the gastrointestinal tract in response to eating, as per Harvard Medical School.
When a person eats, their digestive system breaks carbohydrates down into simple sugars which travel through the bloodstream. GLP-1 triggers the release of insulin through the pancreas, which then helps usher glucose (sugar) out of the bloodstream and into the cells, where they can be used for nourishment.
For people with Type 2 diabetes, their bodies are often resistant to the effects of insulin, or they do not produce enough insulin. When administered to these persons, the GLP-1 agonists stimulate the pancreas to release insulin and further suppress the release of another hormone called glucagon, thus helping to keep blood sugar levels in control.
These drugs can also aid weight loss by reducing the feeling of hunger in human bodies, and delaying the emptying of the stomach, thus helping people feel full for a longer time, according to Harvard Medical School. The weight loss is seen as an important part of managing diabetes.
The FDA had earlier approved the use of several GLP-1 agonists for weight loss in people with obesity, including those who do not have diabetes. The drugs, when being used for overweight or obesity, are typically prescribed in higher doses than for those with diabetes.
