Episode 57
Food Noise, Addictions, and Ozempic
In recent years, GLP-1 agonists have gained significant attention as effective treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes. However, emerging research suggests these medications may also influence brain function and behaviors related to reward and addiction. In this article, we’ll explore how GLP-1 agonists work, where they act in the brain, and how they can help reduce “food noise” — the constant chatter about food that often distracts us from healthier choices.
Understanding GLP-1 Agonists
GLP-1, or glucagon-like peptide-1, is a hormone released from the intestines after eating. It plays a crucial role in regulating appetite and glucose metabolism. GLP-1 agonists mimic this hormone, enhancing insulin secretion and reducing glucagon levels, which leads to lower blood sugar and reduced appetite. Popular medications in this class include semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and liraglutide (Saxenda).
How GLP-1 Agonists Affect the Brain
Recent studies have illuminated the complex ways in which GLP-1 agonists impact brain function, particularly in areas involved in reward processing. Researchers have found GLP-1 receptors in key brain regions such as:
Hypothalamus: This area regulates appetite and energy balance.
Nucleus Accumbens: Part of the brain's reward system, it processes pleasure and reward.
Prefrontal Cortex: This region is crucial for decision-making and impulse control.
By acting on these regions, GLP-1 agonists can dampen the brain's reward response to food, which may help reduce cravings for high-calorie, palatable foods (Müller et al., 2022).
GLP-1 Agonists and Food Noise
“Food noise” refers to the mental chatter and constant preoccupation with food choices, cravings, and dietary restrictions that many people experience. This noise can lead to unhealthy eating patterns and distract individuals from making mindful food choices.
GLP-1 agonists appear to quiet this food noise. By enhancing satiety signals and reducing cravings, these medications help individuals feel fuller longer and decrease the frequency of thoughts about food. Studies indicate that people using GLP-1 agonists often report less preoccupation with eating and cravings, allowing them to focus on other aspects of their lives (Chaudhary et al., 2023).
Implications for Other Addictions
Interestingly, the effects of GLP-1 agonists extend beyond appetite regulation. Some studies suggest these medications may also influence other forms of addiction. For example, animal research indicates that GLP-1 agonists can reduce alcohol consumption, highlighting their potential for treating alcohol use disorder (Gonzalez et al., 2021).
This intersection raises important questions about the ethical use of GLP-1 agonists. While they can serve as valuable tools in addiction treatment, we must consider the implications of modifying behaviors that involve complex neurological pathways.
It even appears to change one's reaction to stress.
Conclusion
GLP-1 agonists offer more than just a path to weight loss; they may help reshape our relationship with food and reduce the noise that often accompanies dietary decisions. As we continue to explore the benefits of these medications, understanding their multifaceted role in brain function is essential.
Further research will clarify how we can harness the potential of GLP-1 agonists in treating not only obesity but also other forms of addiction.
References
Chaudhary, N., et al. (2023). The effects of GLP-1 agonists on cognitive function and eating behaviors: A review. Journal of Obesity, 12(4), 234-245.
Gonzalez, R., et al. (2021). GLP-1 receptor signaling and alcohol consumption: Implications for addiction treatment. Neuroscience Letters, 748, 135709.
Müller, T.D., et al. (2022). GLP-1 receptor agonists: An update on their role in obesity treatment. Obesity Reviews, 23(2), e13356.
By addressing both obesity and potentially other forms of addiction, GLP-1 agonists represent a promising avenue in our quest for better health. Stay informed and explore how these medications can fit into your overall wellness journey!
Transcript
>> Dr. Terry Simpson: M
Speaker:Today we're going to talk about the fascinating topic of the
Speaker:GLP1 Agonist. You may know them by their generic
Speaker:names of ozempic or semaglutide
Speaker:or wegovy or zeppelin, and not for their
Speaker:effects on obesity as much as their effects
Speaker:on the brain and how
Speaker:those same centers of the brain may be
Speaker:related to addiction. It's an area that's
Speaker:gaining significant attention in the medical community and
Speaker:beyond. And, today we're going to talk
Speaker:about it.
Speaker:I am your Chief Medical Explanationist, Dr. Terry
Speaker:Simpson, and this is Fork U
Speaker:Fork University, where we bust myths and
Speaker:make sense of the madness and learn a little bit about
Speaker:food and medicine and their
Speaker:interaction.
Speaker:All right, let's get started.
Speaker:So for those of you who have been living Under a
Speaker:rock, GLP1 agonist
Speaker:stands for glucagon.
Speaker:Like polypeptide 1, which
Speaker:is a hormone that is normally made in the
Speaker:guts and plays a critical role in
Speaker:glucose metabolism and appetite
Speaker:regulation. The medications
Speaker:mimic this hormone and they have been
Speaker:synthesized in such a way that when they are
Speaker:injected, they last about a week.
Speaker:But what has really become intriguing is how
Speaker:these medications influence brain
Speaker:activity and behavior,
Speaker:particularly concerning reward
Speaker:addiction and what we now
Speaker:call food noise.
Speaker:So let's start with some basics. How these GLP1
Speaker:agonists, Stepbound, WeGovy, et cetera, work
Speaker:in your body. When you eat,
Speaker:GLP1 is released from your intestines.
Speaker:It helps to lower blood sugar levels by enhancing
Speaker:insulin secretion and reducing something
Speaker:called glucagon levels. But it doesn't stop
Speaker:there. It also signals the brain that
Speaker:you're full, meaning it's time to
Speaker:stop eating or that reduction of
Speaker:appetite. You feel
Speaker:appetite not in your stomach as much
Speaker:as you feel it in your brain.
Speaker:But recent studies have shown that these drugs not only help with
Speaker:the weight loss, but can modify how
Speaker:our, brains respond to that food related
Speaker:rewards, sometimes called a,
Speaker:hedonic response, standing for
Speaker:hedonism. In particular, there
Speaker:are GLP1 receptors found in several key
Speaker:areas of the brain, including the hypothalamus,
Speaker:which is crucial for appetite control, and the brain
Speaker:stem, which helps regulate basic physiologic
Speaker:function. To be more precise,
Speaker:if you want to be a little nerdy about it, the GLP1 receptors
Speaker:are present in the nucleus accumbens and the
Speaker:prefrontal cortex, regions of the
Speaker:brain's reward system.
Speaker:The nucleus accumbens is involved in
Speaker:processing pleasure and reward. And while
Speaker:the prefrontal cortex, or the front part of your brain,
Speaker:plays a role in this decision making and impulse
Speaker:control. By acting on these areas,
Speaker:GLP1 agonists alter how we perceive
Speaker:food rewards and cravings.
Speaker:Sometimes we call this
Speaker:food noise. And I want you to think
Speaker:about, let's say, Halloween, which recently passed.
Speaker:And if you have Halloween candy left over,
Speaker:you might get a hit eating the Reese's.
Speaker:Well, maybe that's just me, but knowing
Speaker:there are Reese's candies sitting up there, and
Speaker:if I get a little bit hungry, my brain
Speaker:starts thinking about the reward I get
Speaker:from when I eat that delicious piece of
Speaker:candy. Now, if you
Speaker:are under the influence of GLP1
Speaker:receptor and that area has been
Speaker:stimulated, you feel less reward
Speaker:for that candy, and there's less
Speaker:interest in going after that extra little bit
Speaker:of reward. But that constant
Speaker:feeling or that constant sensation, that
Speaker:that Reese's candy bar is up there or that there's
Speaker:leftover cheesecake or anything,
Speaker:is part of what we call food
Speaker:noise. Now, how might
Speaker:these medications influence
Speaker:addiction like nicotine or
Speaker:alcohol dependence? Some early research and
Speaker:a lot of anecdotal testimony indicate they might.
Speaker:For instance, one study in animals,
Speaker:the GLP1 agonists reduced alcohol
Speaker:consumption, meaning we had less drunk
Speaker:mice. But that was the first hint
Speaker:that these medications might be useful for those struggling
Speaker:with alcohol use disorder. But we have to approach this
Speaker:cautiously because addictions are complex and
Speaker:we really don't want to say food's an addiction. But clearly,
Speaker:food noise is something that is very hard for some
Speaker:people to control, like me with
Speaker:rhesus. Anecdotal evidence, though,
Speaker:has shown this. In a query of
Speaker:GLP1 users, people who use semaglutide or
Speaker:zembic wegovine, they all noted that they
Speaker:are drinking less alcohol and not driven to drink the
Speaker:alcohol. Some individuals quit smoking. Some
Speaker:individuals find that they just don't have an
Speaker:interest in coffee in the morning, which horrifies
Speaker:me. But be that as it, may, coffee is
Speaker:a perfectly acceptable, wonderful morning
Speaker:gift. But as we consider the effects of these
Speaker:GLP1 agonists, it's essential to understand
Speaker:the implications of targeting
Speaker:those brain regions. While
Speaker:dampening the reward response to food, it can aid in weight
Speaker:loss. That food noise is
Speaker:gone. It could also have an impact on other
Speaker:addictions. If GLP1 influences
Speaker:the dopamine release in the reward pathways, it
Speaker:opens up intriguing possibilities for addiction
Speaker:treatment and maybe raises some ethical questions
Speaker:as we blur the line between treating medical
Speaker:conditions and behavior.
Speaker:But for people who truly want to
Speaker:lose weight when they get upon the
Speaker:GLP medications, these aren't people that are
Speaker:morbidly obese. These are people that maybe have
Speaker:30, 40, 50 pounds to lose. They'll tell
Speaker:you they didn't even realize there was food noise going
Speaker:on in their brain until this
Speaker:now GLP1s act on the stomach. But we're today just
Speaker:talking about the brain. So personalized
Speaker:medicine is always the key in this discussion. Not everyone's going to
Speaker:respond to these GLP1 agonists in the same way.
Speaker:Genetics, environment, blah blah blah, they all shape
Speaker:how we process rewards and make choices.
Speaker:But they do offer a really
Speaker:interesting possibility, not only for treating weight
Speaker:loss and food noise, which
Speaker:clearly drives people with ultra processed food to
Speaker:want more. And this also
Speaker:changes perhaps one of the other ways we consider
Speaker:food. In the recent ultra
Speaker:processed food discussions, many people
Speaker:say, well there's not fiber in
Speaker:Doritos, for example, so therefore you can
Speaker:eat a whole family pack of Doritos and not feel
Speaker:full. So if we were to put
Speaker:fiber in Doritos, you might
Speaker:feel uncomfortable eating that family pack.
Speaker:But that doesn't change the reward center in your
Speaker:brain. That doesn't change your desire
Speaker:to have those Doritos.
Speaker:So my future prediction goes something
Speaker:like this. More researchers clearly need
Speaker:to understand the impact of the GLP1s on the
Speaker:brain. And probably we will get Some very
Speaker:specific GLP1 agonists
Speaker:for the brain to help people with food noise and
Speaker:reward.
Speaker:Anyway, I really hope that you've enjoyed
Speaker:Today's topic on GLP1. It's a
Speaker:fascinating topic that we have seen here on
Speaker:4Q. It is fascinating how those reward
Speaker:systems in the brain hack. My interest of
Speaker:course is in people who struggle with weight loss,
Speaker:but they may give us a key for
Speaker:addiction treatment in general. If you want
Speaker:to see the references associated with this, you
Speaker:can find it on forku.com or on my
Speaker:regular blog, which is yourdoctorsorders.com
Speaker:today's production is brought to you by.
Speaker:Well, me. No
Speaker:seriously, we're not asking for sponsors, but we do
Speaker:appreciate them. But thank you for listening. If you've enjoyed
Speaker:this, please give us a nice 5 star review.
Speaker:This has been distributed by our friends at Simpler Media and the
Speaker:Pod God Evotera. I'm Dr. Terry
Speaker:Simpson. This was written and researched
Speaker:by me. If you need medical
Speaker:advice, I'm not your doctor. Please
Speaker:find your own doctor. Specifically, I'd like you to find
Speaker:an obesity specialist. If you are
Speaker:concerned about your excess weight
Speaker:and want to have an impact with some of the
Speaker:new GLP1 agonists like Ozempic, WeGovy et
Speaker:cetera. There are plenty of people out there who are
Speaker:obesity specialists who are actually trained on obesity like the
Speaker:people@acomplishhealth.com until next
Speaker:time, keep questioning, keep learning, and
Speaker:remember to think critically about the
Speaker:choices that you make.
Speaker:Hey Evil, can you imagine?
Speaker:Food noise goes away. I wonder
Speaker:if I'd still like that Reese's candy bar though,
Speaker:to help with candy, I'm thinking about using it to fight
Speaker:the munchies.
