GLP-1 drugs, a simple once-weekly injection, could revolutionize diabetes and weight loss for millions of Americans.
BUFFALO, N.Y. — “You get the shot, you roll up your shirt, you put it in. I lost 42 pounds in my first month at Maunjaro.”
For Abraham Marques, who was once severely obese, it was just the beginning: Just 18 months earlier, he weighed 490 pounds.
Today, he weighs a healthy 191 pounds. With the help of GLP-1 drugs, which slow digestion and make you feel fuller longer, he’s lost about 300 pounds. Some experts say the drugs stimulate the brain’s sense of fullness and induce weight loss by eliminating what many now call “food noise.”
“The sound of food means you look left and right: McDonald’s, Burger King, that’s the sound of food,” Marquez said. “When you take the drug, that sound goes away. It’s not just food. My colleagues have given up smoking, casinos, and alcohol because it removes that element from their brain.”
So how did Abraham lose the weight? He was prescribed the GLP-1 drug Monjauro to treat his diabetes. It’s a once-weekly injection similar to Ozempic that lowers blood sugar levels, and also causes weight loss as a side effect. “This drug has saved not only my life, but millions of people’s lives,” Marquez says.
According to the manufacturers, the average user will experience a total weight loss of over 20%. Studies have also shown many other benefits, including a significant reduction in cardiovascular symptoms.
“Stroke and heart attack are the number one causes of death in America, and almost everyone with type 2 diabetes is at risk,” said Dr. Howard Lips, an endocrinologist and internal medicine specialist at R&B Medical Group. “If you’re obese, your risk is doubled or tripled, but these drugs are extremely effective at lowering your risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Lippes said these drugs have been around for decades and are extremely safe and effective for treating insulin resistance and fatty liver disease. “These drugs were a real breakthrough for us,” he said.
The benefits don’t end there: Many cancers are specifically linked to obesity. Dr. Lips says that if we could get rid of stubborn body fat, we should see a significant reduction in cancer and other diseases. “We know that almost every cancer you can think of is specifically linked to obesity. Hepatocellular carcinoma, and particularly liver cancer, is linked to obesity, or fatty liver. So if we could get rid of the fat, we would hopefully see a reduction in the incidence of many cancers.”
A common misconception is that these drugs are magic pills that will help you lose weight easily.
The short answer is no, it isn’t.
You definitely need medication to lose weight.
“You have to get on top of your medication,” Marquez says. “They’re not going to do everything for you. People don’t understand that. You just take them, lie in bed and lose everything. They don’t work that way. You have to do your part. Eat right, cut out the bad habits that got you here, drink more water, eat healthy, be more honest with yourself and deal with stress. Stress is a killer of weight gain.”
For Abraham, the amazing transformation was made possible by positive lifestyle changes and weekly painless injections.
“If someone told you there was going to be a drug that would help you control your blood sugar, control your thoughts about food, control your relationship with food, and make your stomach feel less hungry for longer, you would think it was a miracle drug, but it’s not a miracle drug,” Marquez said. “You have to do your part. It doesn’t do everything, but it’s a miracle drug. It’s a wonderful thing for us to have it.”
