GLP-1 (Glucagon-like peptide-1) medications have recently changed how we manage metabolism and health. To see why this matters, it helps to first know what GLP-1 does in the body and how it works.

What is GLP-1 and How Does it Work?

GLP-1 is a natural hormone that plays a key role in controlling many important processes in our metabolism. When we eat, specific cells in our gut release GLP-1, setting off a chain reaction in the body. You can think of GLP-1 as the leader of a band, guiding different organs and systems to work together smoothly. The hormone acts in three main ways:

Brain: GLP-1 talks to the parts of our brain that control hunger, helping us feel full after we eat. It works a bit like a thermostat; once we’ve had enough food, GLP-1 lets our brain know it’s time to stop eating.

Pancreas: GLP-1 helps your pancreas keep blood sugar levels steady. It does this by telling your body to make more insulin when needed and less glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar. Think of it like using both the gas and brake pedals to control the speed of a car—GLP-1 helps speed up or slow down your blood sugar as needed.

Digestive System: GLP-1 slows down how quickly food leaves your stomach. This slower process means your body gets energy at a gentle pace instead of all at once, helping you avoid quick jumps in blood sugar and making you feel full for longer.

What Physiological Processes Does GLP-1 Impact?

Metabolic

GLP-1 helps make big improvements in how our bodies use energy. These changes don’t just help control blood sugar—they also affect how our liver works and how our bodies store fat.[i]

Stimulates Insulin Secretion

GLP-1’s main job is to help your body release more insulin when you eat, especially foods with carbohydrates. It signals the pancreas to send out insulin only when it’s needed, which helps safely lower blood sugar. [ii]

Suppresses Glucagon Secretion

GLP-1 also tells the pancreas to slow down the release of glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar by making the liver add more glucose to the bloodstream. When GLP-1 reduces glucagon levels, it helps stop the liver from putting out extra sugar, keeping blood sugar from getting too high. [iii]

Slows Gastric Emptying

GLP-1 slows down how fast food leaves your stomach, which means you digest food over an extended period, and your blood sugar doesn’t jump up quickly after eating. This also helps you feel full sooner and stay full longer, making it easier to manage your appetite. [iv]

Promotes Satiety and Reduces Appetite

GLP-1 affects the brain, especially a part called the hypothalamus, to help you feel full after eating (this feeling is called satiety). [v]

Improves β-Cell Function and Proliferation

GLP-1 helps the pancreas by supporting the cells that make insulin, called β-cells. It helps these cells grow, stops them from dying off too soon, and helps them work better. Over time, this can make the pancreas healthier and improve its management of blood sugar. [vi]

Broader Health Impact

GLP-1 medicines aren’t just about helping people lose weight; they do much more for your health. Studies show that these treatments offer many significant benefits:

Cardioprotective Effects

GLP-1 can also help protect your heart and blood vessels. It improves the function of your blood vessels, lowers your blood pressure, and helps reduce inflammation in your body.[vii]  One study found that patients using GLP-1 medications had fewer heart attacks and strokes.  This heart-protective benefit happens even if people don’t lose weight, which means GLP-1 helps the heart directly.[viii]

Neuroprotective Effects

Recent studies show that GLP-1 may also help protect your brain. It can lower stress in brain cells, help them survive, and even support better thinking and memory. Scientists have also learned that GLP-1 might protect brain cells. Some studies show these medicines could help lower the chances of getting dementia as we age. [ix] This finding means there are new and promising ways to help treat diseases that affect the brain and nerves.

The Natural Alternative: Supporting Our Body’s GLP-1

In medicine, “supporting the body” simply means helping your body heal and work better by using treatments that boost its natural processes, rather than fighting against them.

Example

Sometimes, doctors recommend changing your diet and exercise routine to help manage high blood pressure before prescribing medication. Similarly, it’s better to support your body’s own production of natural GLP-1 instead of immediately relying on a drug version. The medicines known as GLP-1 agonists are not the same as your body’s natural GLP-1. Natural GLP-1 is quickly broken down, while the medication is designed to last much longer in your system. Boosting your body’s GLP-1 can provide benefits while helping you avoid some of the side effects of these medicines.

Supporting the body’s natural production of GLP-1 can offer benefits. Ideally, the aim is to find natural options that promote the body’s GLP-1 production and avoid potential side effects linked to its pharmaceutical version (GLP-1 agonist).

References:

[i] Laurindo LF, Barbalho SM, Guiguer EL, da Silva Soares de Souza M, de Souza GA, Fidalgo TM, Araújo AC, de Souza Gonzaga HF, de Bortoli Teixeira D, de Oliveira Silva Ullmann T, Sloan KP, Sloan LA. GLP-1a: Going beyond Traditional Use. Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Jan 10;23(2):739. doi: 10.3390/ijms23020739. PMID: 35054924; PMCID: PMC8775408.

[ii] Holst JJ. The physiology of glucagon-like peptide 1. Physiol Rev. 2007 Oct;87(4):1409-39. doi: 10.1152/physrev.00034.2006. PMID: 17928588.

[iii] Nauck MA, Heimesaat MM, Orskov C, Holst JJ, Ebert R, Creutzfeldt W. Preserved incretin activity of glucagon-like peptide 1 [7-36 amide] but not of synthetic human gastric inhibitory polypeptide in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus. J Clin Invest. 1993 Jan;91(1):301-7. doi: 10.1172/JCI116186. PMID: 8423228; PMCID: PMC330027.

[iv] Maselli DB, Camilleri M. Effects of GLP-1 and Its Analogs on Gastric Physiology in Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1307:171-192. doi: 10.1007/5584_2020_496. PMID: 32077010.

[v] Flint A, Raben A, Astrup A, Holst JJ. Glucagon-like peptide 1 promotes satiety and suppresses energy intake in humans. J Clin Invest. 1998 Feb 1;101(3):515-20. doi: 10.1172/JCI990. PMID: 9449682; PMCID: PMC508592.

[vi] Maselli DB, Camilleri M. Effects of GLP-1 and Its Analogs on Gastric Physiology in Diabetes Mellitus and Obesity. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2021;1307:171-192. doi: 10.1007/5584_2020_496. PMID: 32077010.

[vii] Ussher JR, Drucker DJ. Cardiovascular biology of the incretin system. Endocr Rev. 2012 Apr;33(2):187-215. doi: 10.1210/er.2011-1052. Epub 2012 Feb 8. PMID: 22323472; PMCID: PMC3528785.

[viii] Marso S, Daniels G, Bown-Frandsen K, et.al., Liraglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Type 2 Diabetes, N Engl J Med 2016;375:311-322, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1603827

[ix] Bowe, B., Xie, Y. & Al-Aly, Z. Postacute sequelae of COVID-19 at 2 years. Nat Med 29, 2347–2357 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02521-2