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WisconsinChristianNews.com
Volume 26, Issue 1
G(u)LP: What’s All the Hype?
By Dr. David Lange, Genesis Primary Care April 2025 Health trends are not a new phenome- non. Various diets, activities and potions have been promoted as the next greatest beak through in per- sonal health for prob- ably 200 years.
curbing appetite. Tirzepatide is the first and only weight loss medication that has a 25% weight loss group rivaling gastric bypass surgery. Prior to the introduction of these medications, the only way to achieve meaningful weight loss when diet and exercise proved to not be enough, was
enough difference to warrant the hype about these medications.
more related to the weight loss and not the med- ication so much. Skin changes are common in that the weight loss causes your skin will start to sag everywhere there is significant weight loss: Face, abdomen, arms, legs, hind end. This can be unflattering, but any form of extreme weight loss will result in sagging skin. A different skin issue is hypersensitivity. With this, most sensations can be unpleasant. Despite the supposed improvement in heart disease, heart muscle mass can be negatively affected and lead to heart issues. One of the side effects catching a lot of attention right now is blindness. This happens when the optic nerve loses blood flow. While it is pretty rare, it is well recognized as a side effect. When the medication is stopped, the appetite returns to normal, or more, and the weight re- turns as well. If a patient can tolerate this med- ication and has success with it, then like nearly every other medication for a chronic condition, it needs to be continued for life or as long as it is safe to use it. But there is some good news out there. The rest of the medical world is finally starting to rec- ognize what has been known by some of us for decades. Physical fitness is the key to health. Weight is not. Now, it is hard to argue that if you are 5 foot tall and 400 pounds that the only shape your are likely in is round, but simply ex- ceeding the imaginary ideal body weight should no longer be considered the final determinant of your health. Most exercise experts recommend 150 minutes of cardio activities a week along with 2 days of weight lifting. Of course if you can do more, then that is better for you. Proper diet of fresh fruits and vegetables, organic if possible, to reduce your chemical exposure, and lean meats. There is so much more out there on this that I just don’t have room to cover today. Pay atten- tion to your health and do what you can to delay chronic health conditions. We do some of this to ourselves but our genetics play a role too, so de- spite our best efforts, we can still end up with health problems. Your involvement though, can make a difference. GenesisPrimaryCare.com Please see the display ad on Page 20 of this issue of Wisconsin Christian News).
Beside controlling your glucose and appetite, what else are the benefits to this class of med- ication? There is evidence that it reduces inflam-
Among the current craze in healthcare trends are the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) medica- tions. I don’t think that any commercial break is complete today without an ad for one of these medications. These are so popular that even an organization like Weight Watchers is now pro- moting them. I get it that the US and much of the planet is considered overweight or obese, but does this need to be so medicalized that every- one needs to be on a medication for it? So what is it about these medications that make them so attractive and more importantly, are they safe enough to be promoted like your favorite car brand? The medication family in question is called the GLP-1 agonists. These medications are hor- mone mimickers that help the pancreas make more insulin to help control blood sugar. This hormone also helps to control appetite and even influences the types of foods one eats. They have positive effects on the heart, muscles, liver, brain and likely other organs and tissues. With this being said, is there any downside to these medications that should make anyone hesitant to use them? The first of these medications came into use nearly 20 years ago. They were expensive and had side effects that limited their use. They were used just for diabetes. I don’t really remember that my patients on these medications really lost all that much weight. I don’t remember that they had particularly great diabetes control either. As seems to be the progression of the industry, as the science behind why an agent works gets bet- ter understood, more specific changes can be made to the base agent to enhance the proper- ties that one is looking to adjust. The last two agents released, semaglutide and tirzepatide, are more effective in lowering blood sugars and
through surgery. Several different surgeries exist for weight loss, but gastric bypass surgery is the most extreme surgery for weight loss and has the potential for severe complications along with the need for lifelong nutritional support and there is still no guarantee that one would achieve a normal weight in the end. While the use of these medications should not be entered into lightly, they are truly a game changer for a certain group of people who struggle with their weight and the potential complication of it. For years, I have been cautious about believing the pharmaceutical industry’s claims regarding the wonders of their products. One simply needs to “follow the money” to assess the nature of the investigator’s motives. Having the ability to truly dig into the statistics and understand how those are manipulated to their advantage is helpful as well. That being said, these products do seem to have significant potential to deal with a number of chronic ailments. Or is this just a case of trying to justify getting everyone on it? Since glucose is the energy source of the body, and insulin is how we utilize glucose, this receptor is likely that important and affects all the things the re- searchers are claiming. Time will tell if it makes
mation in the body which reduces the risk of many chronic health conditions including heart disease, kidney disease, strokes, Alzheimer’s, osteoarthritis, cancer and the effects of aging. While I have not read every study to see what the absolute improvements are, by statistical cal- culation those improvements are enough to not be considered chance occurrences. To balance the hype, let’s talk about side ef- fects. When altering one’s physiology, side ef- fects can happen. It doesn’t matter if it is a pharmaceutical agent or a supplement that one takes. Remember, just because it is natural, doesn’t make it safe or superior to a pharmaceu- tical agent. Cyanide is a natural substance, after all. As many as 50% of patients started on these medications will stop by one year due to side ef- fects. That is a surprising number of discontinu- ations. For other medications that I prescribe, the majority who discontinue it will be due to lack of efficacy and not side effects. Side effects are pretty much the list you would expect with GI is- sues being far and away the number one com- plaint. Another side effect that is listed is really
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