How anti-obesity medication works; ‘No magic solution’
NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — Medications for weight loss have recently been a part of popular culture. Newer semaglutide products, like Ozempic and Wegovy, are widely known.
More Coverage: How Ozempic shortages are hurting diabetics
Some people looking to lose weight may be wondering who should be using the medications and what their impact is.
10 On Your Side learned more from Dr. Kristina Kratovil from Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions. Kratovil is Diplomat of the American Board of Obesity Medicine.
On Friday, Jan. 26 at 1 p.m. Dr. Kratovil will join Digital Host Sarah Goode for a Digital Desk live stream. Watch the live conversation in the video player on this page.
“I tell my patients [that] I’m not a weight loss doctor,” Kratovil said. “I’m a doctor that treats the disease of obesity.”
For those who aren’t experiencing obesity, it is not recommended to take these medications. Kratovil said malnutrition and dehydration would be the top concerns, which could lead to nausea, vomiting, liver and kidney damage.
In her practice, she’s seen the anti-obesity medication market — or commonly known as the weight loss medication market — grow. Goldman Sachs research predicts the anti-obesity medication market will expand about 16 times by 2030 to $100 billion. Currently, the global market for the medications is $6 billion annually.
While once limited, the new field is revolutionary.
“These medications now offered to our patients, not only address behavior related to the disease of obesity, but also treat underlying metabolic causes for the disease,” Kratovil said. “Which is targeting our gut, our liver, our pancreas, our brain, which is a huge part of this.”
With all of the newer options and medications available, education is important.
“I think it’s very important we’re educating, not only our patients, but providers on what we can do to combat this epidemic, and hopefully prevent the progression too,” Kratovil said.
Unlike some may think, the medications are not a magic solution. Loretta Harden has been a patient of Kratovil for over two years.
“I feel my weight loss journey has been my entire life,” Harden said. “I’ve been overweight since the age of three.”
When she first walked into the doors of Sentara Comprehensive Weight Loss Solutions, she weighed over 500 lbs. Now, at 58, she’s seeing progress.
“I have lost 367 lbs. so far, coming here,” Harden said. “Still have more to lose, but that’s where I’m at right now.”
Harden’s comprehensive program includes: lifestyle intervention, nutrition, exercise, bariatric surgeries and medication.
She is currently on Ozempic, the semaglutide FDA approved for Type 2 Diabetes. The other FDA approved weight loss medication being the semaglutide, Wegovy.
Kratovil said she was a good fit for the medication Ozempic, as a patient with diabetes, and there’s the additional benefit of significant weight loss.
“By adding things like the medication, it did give you that bit of a kick,” Harden said. “That bit of a ‘taking the edge off.’ That little bit of that hunger, because it’s still there.”
Kratovil said these medications are not meant for everyone.
“These medications should not be used just for losing 10 lbs.,” Kratovil said. “These meds should be used as part of a comprehensive treatment plan.”
According to Kratovil, the anti-obesity medications are made for patients who are overweight with underlying conditions, or obese, and medications for patients with diabetes.
The CDC has an Adult Body Mass Index or BMI scale to interpret each range, below:
Underweight: BMI less than 18.5
Healthy Weight: BMI 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight: BMI 25.0 to 29.9
Obese: BMI 30.0 and higher.
Without underlying causes like diabetes, people with a healthy BMI should not take anti-obesity medications like the semaglutides. Instead, she recommended a more holistic approach, with good nutrition and exercise.
Medication has been an important piece of Loretta’s health plan, but it is not a magic fix.
“Even people like me that have the surgery, review the surgery as a magic pill, review the medication as a magic pill,” Harden said. “I can tell you from someone who has experienced both, there is no magic solution, at all.”
For Harden, it took a lot of hard work and determination.
“You’ve got to fight every single day, and do every single thing they tell you to do in order to get it off,” Harden said.
Looking ahead, Kratovil said even more medications and developments are on the horizon in the anti-obesity medication market.
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