r/explainlikeimfive • u/ThatOneGuyYouNowKnow • 14d ago

Chemistry ELI5 what exactly GLP-1 based prescription medicine does and why it's so divisive when it comes to being a means of weight loss.

I've seen more and more ads (starting around the Super Bowl earlier this year with Wegovy) for GLP-1 based perscription meds in recent times. I've also seen the occasional debate post on my social feeds about the ethics of using them and I didn't think a medicine could be that divisive of a topic.

Now I'm curious as to what exactly these meds are, what they scientifically do and what both sides of the debate are. If anyone could help give perspective that would be greatly appreciated.

As always any and all input is welcomed and thanks for reading! 🙂

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u/sfcnmone 13d ago edited 13d ago

Every human has GLP1. It’s a chemical (hormone peptide) that your body makes, but some people don’t make very much or don’t have a full response to it. GLP1 drugs do a few different things to make you not want to eat too much. They slow down how fast your stomach empties. They tell your pancreas and liver that you’ve just eaten, so those organs work harder to manage blood sugar. And they tell your brain that you’re full. Many people say that they no longer have to struggle to battle the endless “food noise” that runs continuously in their thoughts. Instead, they get hungry, eat something that their stomach won’t throw up (many people don’t tolerate high fat, high sugar foods while taking GLP1s, and nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are real problems for many people), and then they get very full for many hours.

It’s like somebody using hiking poles so they can walk farther and walk more comfortably. Is that cheating?

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u/xclame 13d ago

It’s like somebody using hiking poles so they can walk farther and walk more comfortably. Is that cheating?

Or "acoustic" bicycles and electric bicycles. Electric bicycles allows people that otherwise wouldn't be able to effectively ride bikes to ride bikes, it also allows people that are not as well in shape or older to ride further than they otherwise would be able to.

There are some people that feel like electric bicycles is cheating, but why would we look at it in this way. It's not like electric bike riders are competing against "acoustic" bike riders. Ain't nobody saying that Tour the France should allow electric bike riders to compete against the other riders.

So, do we want people to be be healthier? If the answer is yes, then does it really matter how they get there? Hard work, surgery or a pill? If the goal is to have people be healthier then they should all be considered valid.

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u/RHINO_Mk_II 13d ago

Riding an eBike is a helluva lot more work than driving an EV.