Of the 38 million Americans who have diabetes, the vast majority have type 2, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s a condition in which your body may not make enough insulin or use it well, resulting in high blood sugar—and that can cause a host of health problems.
The main aim of diabetes treatment is to lower blood sugar through a combination of diet, exercise, and medication, such as GLP-1, states the journal Diabetes Care. With lower blood sugar, those with the disease can reap all sorts of health benefits.
GLP-1 belongs to a newer class of prescription medications that lower blood sugar called glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. While other types of medications can lower blood sugar, says the American Diabetes Association (ADA), GLP-1 can also support weight loss and protect against heart and kidney damage.
Living with diabetes? Chat with a ReflexMD Wellness Advisor to discover how GLP-1 can help
Because of these additional benefits, there’s little debate that GLP-1 is a gamechanger in treating type 2 diabetes.
But what about GLP-1 for reversing diabetes? Does the medication instantly allow you to drop all the weight you want and magically reverse type 2 diabetes, as some social media posts would lead you to believe? In a word: no.
Let’s take a look at these and other myths about GLP-1, along with some facts that spell out the reality about GLP-1 those who have type 2 diabetes.
Myth #1: You can cure type 2 diabetes with GLP-1
Fact: You manage type 2 diabetes. You don’t cure it.
While medications that lower blood sugar, such as GLP-1, don’t cure or reverse type 2 diabetes, they are a key part of a treatment plan for the disease. Lowering blood sugar helps prevent diabetes-related complications, such as nerve pain, vision problems, and chronic kidney disease.
“Diabetes is a chronic disease, so the term ‘cure’ is misleading,” says Shirley Jiang, MD, an internist based in San Diego, California, and chief medical officer of ReflexMD. (A chronic disease is an ongoing condition that lasts a year or more and requires ongoing medical treatment or limits activities of daily living, says the CDC.)
“GLP-1 can very much help manage diabetes, but I wouldn’t use the word ‘cure,’” she adds.
Myth #2: GLP-1 alone is all you need to treat type 2 diabetes
Fact: A holistic type 2 diabetes treatment plan includes a healthy diet and exercise in addition to medication, like GLP-1, to lower blood sugar, according to the ADA.
“It’s a myth that GLP-1 is going to cure everything and that you don’t have to do anything else on top of it,” says Rachel Goldberg, a therapist based in Studio City, California. Rather than thinking of GLP-1 as a cure-all, Rachel encourages her clients who have type 2 diabetes and take GLP-1 to think of the medication as “an effective tool in your tool belt to help you manage diabetes.”
“The body is a system,” says Evan Sisson, PharmD, a professor at the VCU School of Pharmacy in Richmond, Virginia. “What you eat and how much you eat make a difference. Getting adequate sleep makes a difference. Being active makes a difference—and it all works together.”
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Myth #3: Everyone who takes GLP-1 will lose a significant amount of weight
Fact: GLP-1 will decrease your appetite, but how much weight you lose depends largely on how much you lower your calorie intake. “From a purely weight loss standpoint, people get the biggest bang for their buck by making healthier food choices,” says Sisson.
“Patients think that by taking GLP-1, the pounds are just going to melt off, and they can continue to eat the same way,” he says. “If people still fill up their refrigerator with concentrated sweets and fatty foods, they’re probably not going to lose very much weight.”
GLP-1 decreases your appetite by slowing the movement of food through your digestive system and signaling your brain that you’re full. “People feel fuller, so they tend to eat less,” Sisson says. “However, you still have to consume fewer calories to lose weight.”
Myth #5: GLP-1 is only for people who are severely obese
Fact: While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved GLP-1 to treat obesity, the med was also approved to do the following:
- Lower blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes
- Reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death in adults with type 2 diabetes and heart disease
- Support weight loss for people who are overweight and have a weight-related medical problem
If you think a weight loss medication like GLP-1 might be right for you, chat with a ReflexMD Wellness Advisor now or take our short quiz to see if you qualify.
