In 2016, 39% of people over 18 years of age were overweight (body mass index or BMI greater than 25 kg/m2) and 13% obese (BMI greater than 30 kg/m2). Obesity and excess weight are often associated with the development of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases (type 2 diabetes), sleep apnea and some types of cancer. In this sense, overweight and obesity are the cause of 50-60% of cases with fatty liver disease.
The treatment of overweight essentially consists of following a diet and physical exercise to lose weight. However, the goal is not always achieved and is often difficult to maintain. A new drug (semaglutide) that is effective in losing weight has recently been approved. The drug can be administered subcutaneously as a weekly injection (Ozempic) or as daily tablets (Rybelsus). This drug increases the feeling of satiety, causing a decrease in calorie intake with consequent weight loss.
Very promising results
Several studies have been conducted comparing the efficacy of treatment with semaglutide versus placebo. Overall, it has been shown that significant weight loss was achieved in 15% of patients treated with semaglutide compared to 2.4% of those who received placebo. On the other hand, drug tolerance was good, although it could cause nausea (lasting up to 8 days), diarrhea (lasting 5 days), vomiting (2 days) or constipation (55 days). Most of these side effects disappeared without requiring discontinuation of treatment.
In summary, semaglutide is a new drug already available that can be very useful for losing weight, which can be very beneficial for the treatment of the various consequences of obesity (fatty liver, diabetes, etc.). Of course, this medicine should only be used under prescription and medical supervision.
