Aging Better: The GLP-1 Episode
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — In this week’s episode of Aging Better, host Cyreia Sandlin talks all things GLP-1 with board-certified internist Dr. Paul Bradley.
Dr. Bradley is a practicing board-certified internist and co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Scripta Insights. He also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Mercer Medical College and holds the title of principal investigator at Meridian Clinical Research in Savannah. Dr. Bradley has led more than 100 pharmaceutical trials, including the Pfizer, Moderna and Novavax COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials.
Dr. Bradley explains how the GLP-1 medications themselves are not new, and he first started prescribing them for diabetics 15 to 20 years from now. These medications have skyrocketed in popularity, as they are now FDA approved for weight loss. A recent Gallup poll estimates 15% of Americans have used a GLP-1 for weight loss.
Who is the ideal candidate?
According to Dr. Bradley, these identical medications are marketed under different brand names depending on the patient group:
- Ozempic is generally prescribed to help manage blood sugar levels.
- Wegovy is generally prescribed for patients who are medically overweight.
While the brand names differ, Dr. Bradley emphasizes that the drugs themselves are identical.
However, they are not for everyone. When asked if someone who is only 10 to 30 pounds overweight is a candidate, Dr. Bradley clarified the boundary.
“All medications have some risk, though this class has proved to be very safe. We want there to be a good risk-benefit ratio,” he said. “If you’re literally just a few pounds heavier than you want to be but you’re not medically overweight, you’re not a candidate for these. But if you are medically overweight, then yes.”
How do they work?
A common misconception is that these medications magically speed up your metabolism. Dr. Bradley explains that they target your digestion and your brain:
- Slowing the gut: “They work by slowing things down through your GI tract. You get a sensation you’re full—literally like you just went to a buffet and left feeling like that.”
- Signaling the brain: “The gut then sends a message to the brain saying, ‘You’re not hungry, don’t eat.’”
- Caloric reduction: “They don’t affect your metabolism or magically cause you to shrink up. They cause you to be able to eat a whole lot less—and honestly, for the most part, without thinking about it.”
Quieting the ‘food noise’
One of the most profound effects patients report is the elimination of what is known as “food noise.”
“What is food noise? It’s that constant craving. We live in a world where we are bombarded with food, whether it’s advertisements or endless choices. It’s always in our mind,” he said. “If you have no food around, you’re not hungry. But the more food and choices we have, the more complicated it gets. These medications quiet that constant background noise.”
When asked if patients need to actively make lifestyle changes alongside taking the injection to be successful, Dr. Bradley explained that the medication itself facilitates those changes naturally, but long-term success requires building new habits.
“The truth is the medicine works so well, the changes will occur by default—meaning you’re not hungry, so you’re not going to run and eat a lot of food,” Dr. Bradley said.
Although they are FDA approved for continuous use, Dr. Bradley added, “you probably don’t want to be on these medicines forever.”
“Hopefully, during this time period when you’re not hungry all the time, you are learning new habits and falling into a new pattern of eating,” he said.
He says diet and exercise are they key to long-term success.
“When you decide to stop the medicine, those learned habits are what will carry you forward successfully,” he said.
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