Human evolution: the current obesity crisis (Introduction)

by David Turell , Friday, December 15, 2023, 16:59 (134 days ago) @ David Turell

New drugs can reduce obesity:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzGwJJWwHbFwcZVttjFNMXzZpMpl

"Glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1 for short, is often referred to as a gut hormone, but it ultimately affects organs all over the body, from the stomach to the brain. It became clear early on in researching the hormone that it plays important roles in regulating blood sugar, which led to diabetes drugs that mimic its effects by activating the GLP-1 receptor. These drugs that have come to be called GLP-1 receptor agonists.

"Early on, doctors noticed that people taking these drugs also often lost weight, and in 2014, the U.S. FDA gave one of these drugs approval for treating obesity. Still, it wasn’t until the development of a version that could be taken weekly instead of daily that GLP-1 receptor agonists really caught on as weight loss drugs.

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"Unlike their predecessors, GLP-1 receptor agonists are highly effective weight loss drugs with generally limited and manageable side effects. That makes them a game-changer for the many people for whom excess weight does have knock-on health issues. Clinical trials suggest they improve heart health and kidney disease in people with obesity or diabetes, and they’re being tested in other conditions too, including drug addiction. “In honoring these therapies, we also acknowledge the uncertainties, even anxieties, this sea change brings,” she writes. “We recognize, too, that obesity comes with medical and social complexities, and that many deemed overweight by others are healthy, and have little desire or pressing need to lose weight.'”

"Other concerns about these drugs include that they’re expensive and people may need to take them their entire lives. As Science Editor-in-Chief Holden Thorp writes in this week’s editorial, “for all their promise, GLP-1 receptor agonists have raised more questions than they have answered—a hallmark of a true breakthrough.”

A comment from Science: https://www.science.org/content/article/breakthrough-of-the-year-2023

"Obesity plays out as a private struggle and a public health crisis. In the United States, about 70% of adults are affected by excess weight, and in Europe that number is more than half. The stigma against fat can be crushing; its risks, life-threatening. Defined as a body mass index of at least 30, obesity is thought to power type 2 diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, fatty liver disease, and certain cancers."

Comment: it still is a matter of calories. Our ancestors had to go find their food and burn calories. What they found or hunted was small amounts. We order it up. No wonder the difference a sedentary existence makes.