Is Ozempic the new anti-inflammatory wonder drug? | TIME
April 30, 2024
By Shilpa Ravella
If GLP-1 agonists like Wegovy and Ozempic are modern wonder drugs, their effects on body weight and blood sugar are only a part of their sensational story. A lesser-known feature of GLP-1s—and GLP-2s–is their potential to lower local and systemic inflammation within the body, both in the intestines and beyond…
Prescribing GLP-1s for obesity—or any chronic disorder—doesn’t obviate the need for lifestyle changes, which are paramount to decreasing inflammation and the risk of developing CIDs. In fact, certain lifestyle changes, like incorporating more soluble fiber—a type of fiber that feeds our gut microbes—into the diet, or exercising regularly, can increase endogenous GLP-1 levels. Lifestyle prescriptions may also help to lessen the risks of GLP-1s by allowing patients to be maintained on the lowest effective dose, or to even wean off GLP-1s entirely at some point…
Patients should discuss the potential utility of GLP-1s for a particular condition with their physicians. However, the use of glucagon-like peptides–which are powerful gut hormones–should not be cavalier…