3 ms·
They might be branded that way, but that's not what they are. They have dramatic effects on the metabolic pathway and insulin response that need to be carefully
by timr 2y ago
They might be branded that way, but that's not what they are. They have dramatic effects on the metabolic pathway and insulin response that need to be carefully considered if you're not actually diabetic.
I recommend that you listen to the most recent Peter Attia podcast, which is a 2+ hour interview with Ralph DeFronzo (diabetes expert) where he goes deep into the effects of GLP-1 agonists on insulin response and other metabolic pathways. I came away with the impression that we're being too casual with how these drugs are being used -- if you're overweight these impacts are probably all for the good, but if you're not, it's more questionable.
https://peterattiamd.com/ralphdefronzo/ https://peterattiamd.com/ralphdefronzo/
- cj 2y agoI’ll have to rewatch that video. Saw it a couple days ago and walked away with the opposite take. DeFronzo spent a whole lot of time heavily praising the generation of drugs (including the next generation in phase 2 trials) If there’s a specific part you remember talking about the negatives I’d be interested to hear. I legitimately have a difficult time finding anything negative when researching the drug, other than tolerable side effects like GI upset.
- timr 2y agoHe's praising them for people with clear metabolic syndrome, and I'm reading between the lines as someone with prior knowledge. As a simple example, while it's probably good to inhibit gluconeogenesis in people with elevated A1c, doing so in a healthy person could lead to hypoglycemia. I don't have a list of exact timestamps, but there are multiple places where he discusses the impacts of the GLP-1 agonists (of various generations) on insulin signaling, glucose transport etc., and the conversation is generally complex, nuanced, and wide-ranging. We don't understand everything these drugs are doing, but they're clearly banging around a complicated metabolic/hormonal system with a big, blunt hammer.
- cj 2y agoSpecific part of the interview that talks about GLP-1 safety with DeFronzo and Attia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGIFdakceHM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGIFdakceHM
- timr 2y agoYeeeeah, he says that "they're quite safe", but it's in the context of a wider conversation focused on people with metabolic syndrome. I wouldn't be eager to extrapolate from that comment to "let's put this in the water supply" (exaggerating for the sake of argument).