Obesity affects more than one billion people around the world. Historically, the genetic ability to store body fat is an evolutionary conserved adaptation to stave off starvation. The combination of the superb ability to store body fat, a high rate of sedentary lifestyle and an abundance of ultra-processed foods—a food landscape our great-grandparents wouldn’t recognize—has culminated into a global obesity epidemic. The unprecedented rise in obesity over the past decades has led to scientists searching for new treatments to combat the epidemic.

You may have heard of the term GLP-1 or the drugs that mimic it in the body, such Ozempic. GLP-1 is produced in the gut and helps regulate blood sugar levels. In 1989, the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk wanted to explore if GLP-1 could be turned into a drug to help treat high blood sugar levels—commonly associated with obesity—in people with Type 2 diabetes.  

Research confirmed GLP-1 was effective at treating Type 2 diabetes, but there was a major caveat. The medication lasted only five minutes before it was broken down by the body. The solution to a longer-lasting treatment came from an unexpected source: a lizard. The Gila monster’s venom contains a molecule very similar to GLP-1 that was resistant to being broken down by the body. This molecule was used as a template to make a new one that would have all the same benefits, but the body wouldn’t break it down as rapidly. As a result, this became the first long-acting GLP-1 drug   that was FDA-approved for Type 2 diabetes treatment.

Researchers noticed that GLP-1 drugs increased the feelings of fullness and satiety and thought this could be used as a potent treatment for obesity. Clinical trials proved the drug to be so potent that people lost an average of 15% of their body weight over a year, which is a huge deal.

In 2021, a newer version injected weekly called semaglutide was approved for the treatment of obesity. This was a big improvement from lasting only five minutes, as the original drug did. Even newer, combination versions of GLP-1 drugs, such as tirzepatide and retatrutide, have been shown to cause staggering amounts of weight loss of up to 25% of a person’s body weight. These formulas are still in early phases of the drug approval process.

We are still learning all the effects of GLP-1 drugs, which are numerous and independent of weight loss. They’ve been found to reduce inflammation, and have positive effects on sleep apnea and heart, liver and kidney diseases. However, there are risks as well. GLP-1 medications may increase the risk of depression and anxiety and have undergone ethical scrutiny for access and affordability. Because these medicines are so new, long-term effects are currently unknown.

We are on the cusp of revolutionary treatments for the global obesity epidemic. The implications are remarkable, but we need more scientific research to guide safe, continuous and effective treatment. Changing your body weight with a drug was once science fiction. Now we are watching history in the making.