How Semaglutide and Tirzepatide Have Become a Weight Loss Staple in Functional Medicine
The never-ending quest to find an effective, long-term weight loss solution has recently brought two popular peptides semaglutide and tirzepatide into the spotlight. These two peptides have quickly gained global recognition for their role in weight loss and management, in addition to their use in functional medicine.
You might know them by their other names semaglutide is sold as Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus, and tirzepatide can be prescribed as Mounjaro™.
In this guide, we’ll explore the world of peptides for weight loss and management, delve into how both semaglutide and tirzepatide work, their effectiveness, and how taking a holistic approach with functional medicine can help you achieve sustainable weight loss.
The Power of Peptides for Weight Loss
If you haven’t heard of them before, peptides are a short chain of amino acids that play a vital role in many physiological processes, including weight loss. Semaglutide and tirzepatide are two types of peptides that have been proven to aid in weight loss, even for people where other weight-loss solutions have failed.
By kickstarting your metabolism, these peptides can help you burn more calories through exercise while simultaneously reducing your appetite. This makes it easier to see results from a healthy diet and exercise plan while avoiding cravings and overeating.
If it feels harder to lose weight after 40, that’s because it is. As we age, our bodies naturally produce fewer peptides, which makes dropping even a few unwanted pounds a challenge. But for those who are seeking more substantial weight loss — anywhere from 40 to over 100 pounds — peptides can make a drastic difference on the scale and in their overall health.
How Peptides Balance Weight Management
Peptide therapy can enhance muscle growth and repair, potentially leading to a more favorable body composition and an increased resting metabolic rate. As amino acids, they are the building blocks of proteins. They also affect things like hormonal production and immune response.
When it comes to peptides for weight loss, there are several ways these covert messengers help your body.
Appetite Regulation
There are different peptides that tell your body it’s hungry and others that tell you you’re full. Ghrelin is the best example for this, as it’s more commonly known as the “hunger hormone,” it makes you want to eat and fuels your appetite. Some experts actually theorize that morbid obesity can be linked to ghrelin sensitivity, as it causes people to feel hungrier and want to eat more than their body requires.
Peptides like GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and PYY (peptide YY) help satiate your appetite and prevent chronic hunger sensations many people experience when they’re maintaining a calorie deficit.
Metabolic Rate
Peptides do more than just suppress hunger. It also speeds up your metabolism, making it easier for your body to get rid of unwanted fat. One way they do this is by stimulating the thyroid, which can trigger a higher metabolic rate and lead to faster weight loss.
Fat Mobilization
Peptides like semaglutide and tirzepatide change the way your body decides how to store fat — a process known as fat mobilization. Generally, the body does not want to use stored fat unless you’re working out more or eating less. Semaglutide acts on GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), telling your brain that you’re fuller before you actually are. This causes your body to turn to stored fat for energy.
Tirzepatide also affects GLP-1, but it goes a step further and also alters GLP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). This also affects how your body stores fat and sugar. When you take tirzepatide, your body becomes more effective at using insulin, which means it doesn’t produce as much. In turn, your body then receives the signal that it’s okay to break down stored fat.
The Bottom Line: Both semaglutide and tirzepatide can help break down fat by altering how your body registers appetite. This affects food intake and how your body uses stored fat — making it easier to drop excess weight.
Understanding Semaglutide
Semaglutide: Whether you know it as Ozempic, Wegrovy, or Rybelsus, this is by far the most popular weight loss medication on the market today. And for notable reasons.
In appropriate contexts, providers can prescribe patients semaglutide when they have struggled to lose weight solely through diet and exercise.
Proven Efficacy: Clinical Trials and Research of Semaglutide
There have been numerous clinical studies about the effectiveness of semaglutide for weight loss. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials revealed that semaglutide led to significant weight loss compared to placeboes.
A 2018 study found that semaglutide was well-tolerated for 52 weeks, and patients in the control group had a weight loss range between -2.3% to -13.08% with doses ranging from 0.05mg to 0.4mg.
In all modern studies, participants who take semaglutide show higher weight loss than those who received a placebo treatment.
Tirzepatide: An Emerging Peptide Star
Semaglutide has been on the market for years, and before it was a weight loss drug, it is also used to manage type 2 diabetes. After its rise in popularity, another medication came onto the scene: tirzepatide.
The FDA approved the drug in 2022 for the management of both type 2 diabetes, working on both GLP-1 and GLP receptors. In addition to improving your appetite, reducing cravings, and helping you feel fuller, tirzepatide also lowers insulin levels.
With lower insulin, your body burns more stored fat, which can lead to faster weight loss.
Clinical Research in Tirzepatide's Role in Weight Management
A phase 3 clinical trial of tirzepatide MTD found that after an 84-week treatment program, patients lost a total of 26.6% of their original body weight.
Another 72-week study in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that patients who used tirzepatide once a week for the treatment of obesity lost an average of 15% of their body weight on 5mg of tirzepatide. Among 2,539 patients who took 10-mg and 15-mg doses, 7.1% and 2.6% had to stop early due to adverse effects, primarily gastrointestinal discomfort.
Overall, the current research shows that when taken properly as part of a weight management plan, tirzepatide can be a highly effective weight loss solution.
How functional medicine uses Peptides like Semaglutide and Tirzepatide for weight loss
A Different Approach: Tirzepatide vs Semaglutide
When it comes to weight management, both semaglutide and tirzepatide have clinically proven benefits. They both act the same but tirzepatide takes it a step further by also targeting the way your body processes and produces insulin.
Semaglutide
Mimics GLP-1 — your primary appetite peptide
Makes you feel fuller faster and hungry less often
Increases insulin production after meals
Decreases glucagon secretion, which raises your blood sugar levels
Taken once per week
FDA-approved as WeGrovy for weight loss, sometimes given off-label as Ozempic
Tirzepatide
Mimics GLP and GLP-1
Lowers your appetite more comprehensively
Increases insulin after meals more than semaglutide
Taken once per week
FDA-approved only diabetes as Mounjaro, can be prescribed off-label for weight loss
Book a Free 15-Minute Weight Loss Consultation
Instead of relying on one-off diets and difficult exercise plans, consider a whole mind and body solution instead. Holistic Health Code is dedicated to providing comprehensive patient care that addresses every aspect of your well-being.
Functional Medicine’s Approach to the Root Cause of Weight Gain
Our providers believe that your entire lifestyle should come into play when developing a weight loss solution.
Rather than solely focusing on diet and exercise, our practice considers whole-body aspects such as your family history, lifestyle, and sleep schedule.
By considering your whole being, our functional medicine providers can create a weight loss plan that guides you toward a greater sense of health and wellness by zeroing in on the root cause of your weight fluctuations. Instead of offering restrictive solutions, the goal of treatment is to find an inspiring, liberating, approach to health that leads to positive, motivating lifestyle changes.
The Functional Medicine Paradigm: A Holistic Weight Loss Strategy
Our root cause analysis works to understand the cause of weight gain and weight loss resistance. For instance, If you struggle with overeating, we investigate hormone imbalances, emotional triggers, gut health and other underlying variables when crafting a personalized weight management strategy.
Rather than weight being treated as a problem, it is seen as a symptom of other health needs. By addressing those needs and their root causes, patients can not only lose weight but make effective changes that maintain weight loss.
Make Informed Decisions About Your Weight
It is important to consult with a medical professional before ever taking a medical solution for weight loss. While the GLP peptides have been extensively studied, there are potential side effects and risks of taking these medications for weight loss.
Our goal is to improve your holistic wellbeing. By consulting with an expert in the field, you can learn how peptides may fit into your life and the benefits they might present to you.
Even if they are not a fit, your provider will discuss other options to help you confidently reach your goals.
Book a New Client Visit Today
If you are ready to take a new approach to weight loss, we can help. Please schedule your appointment with us at Holistic Health Code in Farmington, CT, to meet with an experienced functional medicine practitioner. We look forward to meeting you virtually or in person.
