How Did Semaglutide Help Before the Full Study Dose?

On Huberman Lab, semaglutide is catabolic across the board, so patients lose fat and also lose muscle. Semaglutide is not a miracle drug, and the dose in the main trial sits above the amount many clinic patients need.

The trial ran for one year, or maybe a little over that, maybe 60 weeks. About 16 weeks went into getting patients comfortably up to 2.4 milligrams weekly, and patients stayed on 2.4 milligrams. In clinic use, enough benefit usually shows between one and two milligrams, and people move along a little quicker. Some patients cannot tolerate semaglutide because of nausea. Dr. Peter Attia says nausea might be part of how semaglutide works, as appetite suppression taken to an extreme. Most of the effect of semaglutide is central, not peripheral. Dr. Peter Attia would bet 80 percent of the effect is in the hypothalamus. Semaglutide also improves insulin sensitivity in the periphery, but Dr. Peter Attia does not think the peripheral improvement accounts for much of the benefit. Coming off semaglutide brings a weight regain. Newer versions seem to preserve the weight loss even off semaglutide.

Dr. Peter Attia says the work is still in super early days and asks whether a person will cycle semaglutide or stay on semaglutide indefinitely, and whether resistance will show up.