With obesity, diabetes, and other weight-related conditions impacting roughly two out of every three adults in the U.S., weight loss is at the forefront of American health and wellness concerns. Healthy lifestyle changes such as diet plans and fitness routines remain standard best practices for weight loss. But today, supplements, pharmaceutical drugs, and even medical interventions (such as surgery) have become increasingly prevalent as well.
In the continual quest for effective weight loss solutions, certain medications not primarily intended for weight loss have been found to promote weight loss as an unintended side effect. And in some cases, healthcare professionals do prescribe such drugs for weight loss purposes. These are known as off-label prescriptions.
Recently, there has been a lot of media coverage of a specific diabetes medication known as Semaglutide that is being prescribed off-label for weight loss. But is this medication the same as insulin?
In this post, we’ll take a look at what insulin actually is and how it’s related to weight management. We’ll also explore Semaglutide and whether or not it’s a safe and viable weight loss option.
What is Insulin?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, insulin is a hormone produced in the pancreas that “helps your body turn food into energy and controls your blood sugar levels.”
Essentially, it’s the key that opens your cells to receiving glucose from your bloodstream.
Without insulin, your cells can’t process carbohydrates. Instead, glucose remains in your blood, which results in high blood sugar (hyperglycemia).
Who Can Take Insulin?
Insulin is most frequently prescribed to people suffering from Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. Taken in regulated doses (often by injection), insulin can be a life-saving medication.
People who do not suffer from diabetes should never take insulin unless prescribed by a doctor under a specific circumstance. The unsupervised administration of insulin can prove to be extremely dangerous or even fatal.
Is Insulin Related to Weight Loss?
Because insulin brings blood sugar (glucose) into your body’s cells to be either stored or used as energy, any excess sugar is converted to fat. For this reason, starting insulin medication is often correlated with weight gain. People who take insulin for diabetes must carefully manage their caloric intake, exercise levels, and sleep to ensure that weight gain doesn’t put them at further risk.
So, the simple answer is no, insulin isn’t related to weight loss (in fact, quite the opposite). That being said, the processes that stimulate the natural pancreatic release of insulin can impact weight loss under certain conditions. Let’s take a closer look.
Semaglutide: A Non-Insulin Diabetes Medication
Semaglutide (the active ingredient in Ozempic) is known as a glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1) receptor agonist. In plain English, this means that it imitates the effects of a naturally occurring hormone whose job it is to signal your body when you’ve eaten food that’s ready to be metabolized.
Semaglutide basically tells your brain, endocrine system, and digestive system that your stomach is full. It stimulates natural insulin production and also slows down gastric emptying (the rate at which food exits your stomach) and, thus, the entire digestive process.
All in all, Semaglutide helps you to feel fuller for longer, reduces cravings, and, in combination with healthy lifestyle changes, can promote weight loss.
Can You Lose Weight By Taking Semaglutide?
Yes, a series of clinical trials have demonstrated a significant correlation between Semaglutide and weight loss in conjunction with healthy lifestyle changes.
Who Can Take Semaglutide?
Semaglutide is the active ingredient in Ozempic, which is a Type 2 Diabetes medication. It’s also the active ingredient in Wegovy, which has recently been approved as a weight loss drug. Under the right conditions, Semaglutide may be taken for weight loss but should only be taken as prescribed by a doctor.
Conclusion
To conclude, you cannot lose weight by taking insulin, but Semaglutide (which stimulates natural insulin production), is the active ingredient in an approved weight-loss medication. For more information about ordering Semaglutide, explore Bisonpharmacy.com (visit site here).