What is Semaglutide for Weight Loss?
Fidelity Medical Clinic, located in Tampa, Florida, offers Semaglutide for weight loss and weight management. In our Tampa weight loss clinic, or via telehealth, we provide weight loss assistance for Florida residents. Semaglutide is used for the treatment of obesity, providing clinically significant weight loss and maintenance. Read on for a discussion of Semaglutide, and its use in fighting obesity.
Semaglutide is used for chronic weight management in obese or overweight adults with at least one weight related health condition. Weight related conditions include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, etc.
Approximately 70% of Americans struggle with being overweight or obese. This is a serious health issue associated with several leading causes of death, including diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. Excess weight is also associated with an increased risk for certain cancers. Losing weight can reduce these risks in adult patients who are overweight or obese.
Metabolic adaptation for obesity treatment and weight loss often leads to systematic weight regain after weight loss efforts. For this reason, new obesity treatments should aim for double-digit weight loss, as well as improving obesity associated conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Before Semaglutide, only surgery had achieved these goals, but surgery is invasive and not available to everyone. The recent availability of once weekly subcutaneous Semaglutide has changed the weight loss picture.
Semaglutide works by mimicking the GLP-1 hormone, which targets appetite and food intake. The medication dose is gradually increased over 4-5 weeks to reduce gastrointestinal side effects. The efficacy of Semaglutide has been studied in four, 68-week trials, with 2,600 patients receiving Semaglutide, and 1,500 receiving a placebo. Research studies have demonstrated that patients on Semaglutide have significant weight loss, averaging a 14.9% reduction from initial body weight without a restrictive diet or intense exercise. Additionally, one-third of patients who used Semaglutide lost at least 20% of baseline weight.
Semaglutide injections are utilized to treat type 2 diabetes to control blood sugar, together with diet and exercise. It is also used to lower heart attack and stroke risk in patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as heart or blood vessel disease. Available only with a doctor’s prescription, Semaglutide is used in conjunction with diet and exercise to help patients lose weight and keep it off.
What is Semaglutide, specifically? It is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist with 94% sequence homology to human GLP-1. Semaglutide activates and binds the GLP-1 receptor. GLP-1 is a glucose homeostasis regulator released after intake of fats or carbohydrates, increasing glucose-dependent insulin synthesis and secretion. It suppresses glucagon secretion, slowing gastric emptying and reducing food intake. Clinically meaningful and sustained weight loss results with Semaglutide are in higher ranges than those attained with pharmacotherapies previously available.
Obesity is excessive accumulation of fat which affects our quality of life and presents health risks. It is the driving force behind many health issues previously discussed. If you are looking for a medical weight loss clinic or telehealth weight loss in Florida, reach out to us!
