By Do you feel you are overweight? But who exactly is overweight? Well, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) you are overweight when your Body Mass Index (BMI) is 25 or higher but less than 30. Furthermore, a waist size ranging from 37 to 40 inches for men or 31.5 to 34.6 inches for women qualifies you as being overweight. Therefore, if you fit these criteria, you can consider yourself to be overweight. But how do you shed pounds. Well, you have come to the right place. Keep on reading.
Consequences of Being Overweight
Being overweight has negative health consequences. Some of these are listed below.
- Developing Type 2 diabetes
- High blood pressure
- Heart disease
- Strokes
- Certain types of cancer
- Sleep apnea
- Osteoarthritis
- Fatty liver disease
- Kidney disease
So, you want to find ways to lose weight. Well, there is a whole industry to help you. However, there is also new research to help you. One of these is described below.
Latest Study
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a medication known an Tirzepatide used to treat Type 2 diabetes by shedding pounds. Incidentally, this medication is sold under the brand name Mounjaro.
Now, a study was undertaken to see if Mounjaro also helps people who are overweight or obese but don’t have diabetes. And the study found that those who took a 15- milligram dose lost an average of 52 pounds over the 72-weeks study period. Incidentally, some even lost 60 pounds. Overall, people without diabetes lost an average of 15 to 21 percent of their starting body weight. On the other hand, those who took a placebo lost an average of 2.4 to 3.1 percent of their body weight. Furthermore, studies of people with diabetes using Tirzepatide lost an average of 15 percent of their body weight.
Also, in addition to losing significant amounts of weight, participants saw an improvement in blood sugar, blood pressure, and lipid levels.
Details of the Study
First, the study was comprised of over 2,500 people without diabetes. Second, these people had a Body Mass Index or BMI of over 30 or over 27 BMI with at least one health condition like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or cardiovascular disease.
At the start of the study the people in the study had an average weight of 231 pounds and an average BMI of 38.
Furthermore, the people in the study injected themselves with Tirzepatide or a placebo once a week. However, this injection was done using a small penlike device with a very tiny needle that felt more like a prick. In addition, participants were encouraged to stay on a healthy 500-calorie deficit diet. Also, they were encouraged to spend 150 minutes each week on physical activity.
How it Works
Tirzepatide uses the two naturally occurring hormones that help control blood sugar. Most of all, these hormones are involved in sending fullness signals from the gut to the brain. For example, the fullness signals cause you to curtail eating.
Side Effects
Next, side effects included nausea, diarrhea, and constipation. Incidentally, because of the adverse effects, 2.6 to 7.1 percent of the participants left the study mid-stream.
In addition, Mounjaro should not be used by anyone with a family history of some thyroid conditions.
However
Tirzepatide is not currently available for weight loss. In fact, the drug manufacturer (Eli Lilly) is waiting for FDA approval. Meanwhile, the FDA is waiting for Eli Lilly to complete other studies that are currently underway.
Also, once you achieved weight loss, you need to continue taking the medication (albeit possibly at lower doses) to maintain the weight loss. In addition, the price of this drug may be steep for some. For example, Mounjaro that is used to treat Type 2 diabetes currently retails for about $1,000 a month.
Conclusion
Once Eli Lilly gets approval for use on people without diabetes, the drug will be available by the overweight and the obese to lose significant amounts of weight. In the meantime, there are other FDA approved drugs available.
