- Experts have debated the best diets for people taking GLP-1 medications to stay healthy while losing weight.
- A new review has brought together the optimal nutritional recommendations available from existing research.
- The new guidelines could prove useful to anyone wanting to lose weight in a healthy way, but they will be particularly helpful to health care professionals who prescribe these medications.
GLP-1 drugs developed to treat diabetes are very effective in helping people lose weight. People taking these medications can lose up to 15% of their original weight in a year.
GLP-1 agonists mimic the glucagon-like peptide-1 hormone produced in the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, the brain experiences fewer feelings of hunger, the stomach feels fuller with less food, and food leaves the stomach more slowly. These medications are based on the compounds semaglutide, tirezepatide, dulaglutide or liraglutide.
Only one of these drugs, Wegovy, has
A new study presents nutritional guidelines for people taking such medications to prevent nutritional deficiencies and work optimally to lose weight. The results appear in
The goal of the new research journal is to present a centralized source of information based on the best current research available.
According to the study authors, the nutritional recommendations could guide doctors and patients taking GLP-1 medications on what foods to eat and avoid.
Because people taking these medications have a reduced appetite and consume less food each day, there is an increased risk of developing nutritional deficiencies.
According to the study’s lead author, Lisa M. Neff, MD of Northwest Medicine Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, evidence guiding nutritional recommendations for people treated with anti-obesity medications (AOMs) is currently limited.
“For this reason, the nutritional recommendations offered in this review include evidence from general population health and VLCDs (very low calorie diets),” Neff said. Medical news today.
The GLP-1 drugs in this study are collectively referred to as AOM for short.
“Our study provides targeted dietary recommendations for patients receiving AOM, with emphasis on healthy dietary habits allowing adequate intake of energy, macronutrients (protein, fat and carbohydrates), micronutrients, fiber and fluids. ” said Neff.
Mir Ali, MD, a board-certified bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif., was not involved in the research, said MNT the recommendations are more or less “the same type of diet you would recommend to anyone trying to lose weight.”
Guidelines for a healthy, balanced diet to promote weight loss emphasize protein and vegetables while reducing the intake of simple carbohydrates and sugar.
Neff said the study information will also help doctors successfully adjust a patient’s dosage in the event of gastrointestinal adverse events, such as:
“A change in diet may also help. Patients may be advised to consume smaller, more frequent meals, stop eating before feeling full, and avoid foods and drinks that may worsen gastrointestinal symptoms, e.g. in fats, spicy foods, alcohol and carbonated drinks.
—Lisa M. Neff, MD, lead study author
The analysis confirms the importance of following a healthy and balanced diet while taking weight loss medications.
The information in the study is accessible to everyone, although it will probably be most useful to professionals working with people taking AOMs.
Weight-loss medications decrease hunger and food consumption, meaning that “diet quality becomes even more important because nutritional needs must be met in the context of reduced food consumption,” Neff noted.
Ali said the new dietary guidelines will help healthcare professionals steer their patients toward foods that are not only healthiest, but also more likely to promote weight loss.
“What are (patients) supposed to eat? What should they avoid? Many patients are unaware of these things. You need to tell them, “It won’t improve weight loss if you eat these foods because you’re eating too many simple carbohydrates.” » Your body uses it for fuel rather than burning fat for fuel. Our goal is to get your body into a mode where it burns fat, not just using the calories you consume as energy.
— Mir Ali, MD, board-certified bariatric surgeon
Michelle Routhenstein, RD, a preventive cardiology dietitian at FullyNourished, who was not involved in the research, said: MNT Clinicians treating people with GLP-1 should discuss risk factors and symptoms associated with nutritional imbalances.
“Often, GLP-1 medications can excessively suppress the appetite, and without proper nutritional counseling, this can lead to muscle loss, nutritional deficiencies, constipation and dehydration,” Routhenstein said, emphasizing the importance of seeing a doctor. registered dietitian.
Ali agreed that diets aimed at weight loss tend to be safer and more effective when followed under the guidance of a medical professional.
“When you have someone who gives you good food recommendations and you follow that person regularly, it makes a big difference,” Ali said. “It’s easy to fall back into old habits and start eating the wrong things.”
Neff noted that counseling people treated with AOM can help healthcare professionals identify and manage pre-existing risk factors for malnutrition. “(It can also) provide patients with intake goals for key nutrients, including protein, dietary fiber, micronutrients and fluids,” Neff said.
“Continued monitoring during treatment can allow for early recognition and management of any problems that arise, including inadequate nutritional intake, gastrointestinal symptoms or mood disturbances,” she said, adding that Future studies may shed more light on best practices for people taking AOM.
“The availability of more effective AOMs with a generally favorable safety profile could allow more clinicians to take an active role in the treatment of their obese patients. This review provides practical nutritional recommendations and guidance for patient monitoring and management to empower clinicians and promote optimal health outcomes in patients treated with AOM.
—Lisa M. Neff, MD, lead study author