Glp-1: The Key to Weight Loss & Longevity
Looking for a way to lose weight by boosting your GLP-1 levels naturally?
GLP-1 has been in the news a lot over the last year. That’s because of it’s connection to Semaglutide, a medication (Ozempic, Wegovy) that promotes weight loss and lowers blood sugar by stimulating your body’s production of the hormone, GLP-1. With just a few simple changes to your diet, you can increase your body’s own production of GLP-1 and reap its benefits.
GLP-1: How to boost your own production of it naturally
The addition of certain foods to your diet can stimulate the release of GLP-1 in your gut. One particularly powerful category of GLP-1 stimulating foods are bitter tasting foods. Receptors for bitter foods are found not only on your tongue, but also throughout your intestinal tract. In the presence of bitter foods, these receptors become activated, stimulating your digestion and the production of GLP-1 which in turn reduces over-eating and lowers your blood sugar.
Image: foodsforhungry.blogspot.com
Consider adding these bitter foods to your meals:
- Citrus fruits
- Bitter melon
- Radishes
- Cocoa powder
- Coffee
- Arugula
- Turmeric
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Radicchio
- Himalayan Tartary Buckwheat
In addition to bitter foods, the Mediterranean Diet has also been shown to promote GLP-1 secretion.
GLP-1: What it is
GLP-1 is a hormone produced by select cells located in your gut. When you eat a meal or a snack, GLP-1 is released to promote a stable blood glucose level and to regulate your appetite. The result is improved blood sugar control and weight loss. This effect has led to the use of medications that stimulate the release of GLP-1 in the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes and obesity. Additional benefits of GLP-1 include the reduction of risk for adverse cardiovascular events in individuals with obesity and or Type 2 Diabetes due to its anti-inflammatory action. In light of this anti-inflammatory effect, current research is also looking at the role of GLP-1 in the treatment of fatty liver disease and kidney disease.
Image: J. Bland, GLP-1 in Focus: Bridging the gap between Nature and Innovation, 9.19.2024
GLP-1: What about medications like Semiglutide?
Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are examples of medications that increase GLP-1 by stimulating the body’s GLP-1 receptors. These medications have proven effective for promoting weight loss and blood sugar control when used for short term periods of time, such as 12-18 months. However, they are extremely expensive, costing between $12,000-$16,000 per year of treatment. Moreover, the side effects of these medications can be severe: pancreatitis, bowel obstruction, gastroparesis, nausea & vomiting, diarrhea as well as dietary insufficiencies.
GLP-1 & the Functional Medicine Approach to Weight Loss & Blood Sugar Control
As with any health condition, functional medicine promotes healing by addressing the root cause of that condition. When it comes to reaching a healthy weight and promoting a stable blood sugar, addressing any underlying imbalance in your body is essential to long term success. By using food as medicine, promoting optimal adrenal and gut health, and improving stress resilience, the functional medicine approach enables individuals to lead a lifestyle that achieves their health goals, enabling them to live longer and healthier.
Interested in learning more about how functional medicine can help you lose weight and improve your blood sugar regulation?