Will diabetes medication cause weight loss is a query that has bewildered many diabetics the world over.
Men, women and children that suffer from diabetes often wonder whether they can actually lose weight via their disease. Well, not from their disease but from its treatment.
Well, losing weight is only possible when you compel your body into a calorie deficit. This in turn implies that over a period of 24 hours, you consume lesser calories than what your body normally needs in a day (to survive and function optimally).
Medically, a diabetic is an individual who suffers from insulin resistance. Owing to this very reason, their insulin spike is a continuous process. This wide fluctuation inhibits optimal flow and absorption of insulin in the bloodstream.
So, when your bloodstream is soaking with glucose, you are bound to gain weight. To bring the body weight down to normal, you need to reduce insulin spikes. We shall now discuss whether any medication can get the job done:
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Will Diabetes Medication Cause Weight Loss Article Contents:
1) The Mysterious Relationship with Insulin Resistance & Diabetes
- How do You Detect that You Have Insulin Resistance?
- How should I Get Myself Checked for Insulin Resistance?
- Confirmation that You are a Pre-Diabetic
- Confirmation that You are a Type-2 Diabetic
2) What Diabetes Medication is used for Weight Loss?
- GLP-1 Medications for Diabetes Cure & Weight Management
- SGLT-2 Medications for Weight Loss & Diabetes Cure
3) What Diabetes Medication is Approved for Weight Loss?
- GLP-1 Medications for Diabetes Cure & Weight Management
- SGLT-2 Medications for Weight Loss & Diabetes Treatment
- The New England Journal of Medicine
- How is Obesity in Diabetics Treated Normally?
4) How to Reduce Getting Diabetes?
- Tips to Reduce Body Weight when You Have Diabetes?
5) Diabetes Treatment and Weight Loss – Is there a Connection between the Two?
The Mysterious Relationship with Insulin Resistance & Diabetes
Even before we start discussing the best diabetes treatment to lose weight, it is important to understand why this disease affects you in the first place. Diabetes is caused when your body develops insulin resistance.
When you have insulin resistance, the cells present in your liver and the muscle cannot utilize insulin in an optimal manner. Even the cells present in your body fat are unable to utilize insulin produced by your pancreas effectively.
The Role of Insulin:
Insulin is responsible for piggybacking glucose (derived from the food to eat) to reach the cells of the body. When glucose reaches your cells, you get the required energy to function efficiently.
If glucose is not fed to the cells in your muscle or fat, your body is deprived of energy. So, how can your body function optimally? This is why you feel lethargic and suffer from brain fog.
Over a period of time, your body’s natural metabolism takes a major hit. This is when you begin to gain unwanted body weight. You also begin to develop high blood pressure and your cholesterol levels rise sky-high. Diabetes is a part and parcel of insulin resistance.
How do You Detect that You Have Insulin Resistance?
@ If you are a male and your waistline measures 41 inches and above this benchmark
@ In case you are a female and your waist measures 34 inches and above.
@ Your blood glucose levels are above 101mg/dl. This is when the reading has taken place after an overnight fasting interval.
@ You have a high blood pressure wherein the maximum reading is beyond 131.
@ Your skin may suffer from dark patches – especially behind your neck area and the armpit area.
@ Your triglyceride levels are beyond 151mg/dl. This is a reading that is taken when you have fasted the entire night.
How should I Get Myself Checked for Insulin Resistance?
When you suffer from all or any one of the above symptoms then, you need to get an official confirmation. In order to get to that point, you should try and get a medical checkup.
Here are a few ways to know whether you are insulin resistant or not:
@ In the first check, the medical examiner shall tally your blood pressure. He/she shall also measure your waistline and take your weight.
@ A1c Test is yet another way to ascertain your hemoglobin content. The past 3 months average is ascertained via this test. It enables the medical examiner to ascertain whether your insulin is spiking or is stable.
@ Another blood test is to check your hemoglobin count after keeping you from eating food for 8 to 10 hours duration. This is termed as a fasting hemoglobin blood test.
@ Glucose Tolerance Test is the third and final way to check your blood glucose levels. Here, your hemoglobin is tested after an 8 hour fasting period.
Thereafter, you are asked to drink a glass of water filled with glucose. Three hours later, your blood glucose is checked again. This ascertains your body’s natural resistance to glucose.
When Does My Insulin Resistance Lead to Type 2 Diabetes?
If the cells in your body are not getting glucose, your body is unable to function optimally owing to lack of energy. As insulin is unable to supply glucose into your muscle cells, the pancreas increase its production.
This is done to stabilize the blood sugar levels.
Nonetheless, as time passes and your cells refuse entry to insulin, the pancreas give up. This is when high blood glucose in your system triggers diabetes (Type 2).
This happens in 2 stages. The first is termed as Prediabetes and the second is termed as Type 2 Diabetes.
Here is how you determine both these variants:
Confirmation that You are a Pre-Diabetic:
>>> The biggest indicator of you being a pre-diabetic is your Fasting Glucose Test. If the reading is more than 101 and less than 126 then, you are a pre-diabetic.
>>> To confirm this, you may opt for the Glucose Tolerance Test. If the reading of this test is in between 141 and 200 then again, you are a confirmed pre-diabetic.
>>> Finally, the A1c test is to be applied. The reading from this test should be 5.7% or more and less than 6.5% (for you being deemed as a pre-diabetic).
Confirmation that You are a Type-2 Diabetic:
>>> When your Fasting Glucose Test reveals results that exceed the 127 mark then, you have officially become a Type 2 Diabetic.
>>> Your A1c test results should be 6.5% and above to qualify you as a Type 2 diabetic.
>>> Lastly, your Glucose Tolerance Test results should be 201 or higher.
What Diabetes Medication is used for Weight Loss?
There are basically two categories of medications that the doctors use to treat your diabetes and also to lower your body weight. These include glucagon-like peptide 1 and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors.
Another term (short form) of these two categories of medications is GLP-1 and SGLT-2.
Let me walk you through each of these in brief:
GLP-1 Medications for Diabetes Cure & Weight Management:
Diabetes treatment to lose weight includes Glucon Like Peptide 1 is what GLP-1 medicines tend to ape. These medicines tend to come to play when the concerned diabetic consumes food. As the blood sugar levels increase, these medicines compel the pancreas to produce more insulin.
The end result is a balanced blood sugar level.
Some of the most common drugs in this category include Dulaglutide, Semaglutide, Exenatide and Lixisenatide. All of these medicines are to be injected into the body of the concerned person (who is a Type 2 Diabetic).
They increase insulin production to stabilize blood sugar levels in the blood stream. These medicines also reduce your food intake thereby compelling you to eat less. This is because they slow down the speed at which food travels through your intestines.
SGLT-2 Medications for Weight Loss & Diabetes Cure:
This is the second category of medications that help treat Type 2 diabetes. The most commonly used medicines in this category include canagliflozin, empagliflozin, ertugliflozin etc.
Diabetics that have been using these medicines have been known to reduce as much as 8 kilograms of body weight. Nonetheless, these medicines also need to be clubbed with proper diet and exercise routine.
What Diabetes Medication is Approved for Weight Loss?
Semaglutide is the only medicine that the FDA has approved as a medicine to treat diabetes for weight loss. Nonetheless, this medicine is only meant for treating Type 2 Diabetes. You cannot hope to cure Type 1 diabetes with this.
Also known as Wegovy, Semaglutide is known to lower your Body Mass Index. At the same time, it (Wegovy) also supresses your appetite. So, you can easily hope to treat your Type 2 Diabetes and also ensure that your body weight is reducing at a rapid pace.
Novo Nordisk is the company that manufactures this medicine. This medicine has been successfully used for treating teenage obesity. Wegovy is given to the concerned individual via an injection. The injection is given once every week.
Can diabetes medication cause weight loss – let me answer this question via a research study.
The New England Journal of Medicine:
The research on Wegovy was published by the New England Journal of Medicine. In the study, it was found that teenage obese diabetics reduced their body weight by 16%. The subjects were administered this drug for a period of 15.6 months.
Popularly known as GLP-1 drug for treating obesity, Semaglutide helped in reducing the insulin spike in diabetics. Owing to this very reason, diabetics who consumed food regularly failed to gain the unwanted body fat (that is otherwise linked to diabetics).
It has also been stated in the study that consuming 2.3 milligrams of this drug once every week is sufficient to get the job done. The study also claimed that the subjects had to undergo certain lifestyle changes to achieve this aim. This included changes in diet and exercising regularly.
How is Obesity in Diabetics Treated Normally?
Diabetics nowadays have been known to get their treatment done via the normal medicines. These include orlistat and liraglutide amongst others. These have been approved by the FDA to treat overweight issues in teenagers.
Nonetheless when you want to lose weight and also treat diabetes at the same time then, Semaglutide is what you need to take. Always include this medicine into your treatment regime after consulting a trained medical practitioner.
Metformin is also a commonly used medicine to help a diabetic lose weight. This medicine tends to maintain stable blood sugar levels in your body. When insulin spike is reduced, you tend to lose weight naturally. This is a slow yet steady process. Natural cure for diabetes is best for everyone as it has minimal side effects.
How to Reduce Getting Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that is linked directly to your metabolism. Regardless of whether you suffer from Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, your weight gains are inevitable. Your body is unable to generate ample insulin when he/she is a diabetic.
In most cases, the insulin is produced but the cells of the muscle or liver are unable to use it. Basically, your blood glucose levels rise as insulin is unable to feed your cells with it.
High blood glucose levels imply that your blood glucose levels are on the high. This jeopardizes your body’s natural metabolic process. The end result is unwanted weight gain (basically your body’ fat percentage increases).
Tips to Reduce Body Weight when You Have Diabetes?
The food that you eat plays a major role in determining whether you shall loose or gain weight. A diabetes patient also needs to exercise on a regular basis.
Here is a quick look at how you need to watch your diet & exercise to lose weight:
>>> You need to avoid certain foods. These include cakes, cookies, bakery items, fast foods as well as processed foods.
>>> Inclusion of whole grains is vital. Doing so adds the missing fiber to your diet. This in turn also ensures that your blood sugar spikes are kept in check.
>>> I (LeanAndFit reviewer) also suggest that you add quinoa, buckwheat, barley and oats in your diet.
>>> Include peppers, Brussel sprouts, salads that have a green touch to them (peas, spinach, and broccoli).
>>> Avoid fried food as far as possible. Instead, opt for fresh fruits, green leafy vegetables etc.
>>> Restrict your calories to about 1200 a day. Also, try and follow a Mediterranean diet plan for a month or two.
>>> Drink water that has been slightly warmed over a gas stove.
>>> Low Glycemic Index diet is also preferred.
>>> 30 minutes of light exercise should be included in your daily routine. You can take one day off in a week.
>>> Aerobic exercises such as jogging, walking, swimming, cycling etc. are preferred for diabetics.
>>> You can also perform light weight exercises at the gym.
>>> You need to avoid taking the usual gym supplements as they tend to raise your blood glucose levels.
Diabetes Treatment and Weight Loss – Is there a Connection between the Two?
When you are a diabetic then, the high blood glucose in your bloodstream alters your natural metabolism. This is when you begin to gain unwanted body fat. Your health complications increase and your life becomes a painful ordeal.
It is therefore vital that you reduce your body weight. This is achieved by taking the right medication to treat diabetes and also to reduce extra body fat.
Close to 87% people with Type 2 diabetes are over-weight. Almost 61% men, women and children with Type 1 Diabetes are over-weight. So, you can see the unfortunate impact that diabetes has on your body weight.
Getting rid of the extra weight is therefore paramount for safeguarding your own health. Even if a diabetic loses 6% of his/her extra body fat then, his/her cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure levels normalize.
On the contrary, if you (a diabetic) allow your weight to increase then, ailments of the heart and kidney are common. These can also prove to be fatal.
So, (if you are a diabetic then) take medicines that are natural to not only treat your diabetes but also to lose extra body fat. They (these medicines) shall definitely work in your favor.