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There is a Better Choice for Weight Loss

The latest prescription weight loss craze is a once-weekly injection of Wegovy (semaglutide) at a cost of over $1,400 per month. Wegovy is a higher dosage version of Ozempic, a drug also produced by big pharma giant Novo Nordisk A/S that was approved for the treatment of type 2 diabetes in 2017. Wegovy was approved for weight loss by the United States FDA in 2021.

Semaglutide works as a GLP-1 receptor agonist, which means that it acts like a compound that we make in our body known as human glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). Semaglutide is chemically 94% identical to human GLP-1. But it behaves much differently (discussed below) and that creates potential problems.

No Pain, No Gain

What is GLP-1?

GLP-1 is hormone secreted in the small intestine and colon known as L-cells. The way that it is supposed to work is that in response to food components, L-cells will release GLP-1. This leads to improved insulin sensitivity, improved blood sugar control, and the promotion of satiety.

Obviously, these are beneficial effects, but semaglutide behaves in a different way than natural GLP-1. Human GLP-1 breaks down in about 2 minutes. Semaglutide, in contrast, has a half-life of about seven days. Meaning that half of the administered dose will still be around in the blood after a week. The FDA and Novo Nordisk A/S don’t see this difference as an issue.

Do I think it is a problem? Yes, because I trust nature. I believe there is a reason why the body does not want GLP-1 circulating for more than a few minutes. And there may be a problem if GLP-1 lingers too long.

Going from a half-life of a minute with the natural GLP-1 to over a week with the synthetic form is a huge difference. And my guess is that it will be proven to be a problem. The FDA’s history of drugs approved for weight loss is alarming in regards to safety (e.g., remember Fen-Phen?). So, I am concerned about the long-term safety of semaglutide.

The side effects of semaglutide include stomach issues (pain, heartburn, burping, bloating, nausea, vomiting), other digestive disturbances, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and may possibly increase the risk for pancreatic or thyroid cancer.

And of course, when someone stops taking Wegovy, they gain the weight back and sometimes more! One study showed that when test subjects stopped semaglutide they regained almost all the weight they lost within a year.¹

Is there are a better way to go? Absolutely, and what I want to do here is provide what I think is not only a safer strategy, but a more effective one in the long term.

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Value

PGX is a Natural Booster of GLP-1

PolyGlycopleX or PGX for short is a unique dietary fiber matrix. Almost 20 years ago, when I was the Director of Product Science and Innovation at Natural Factors, I helped develop PGX along with Dr. Michael Lyon and the whole product development team.

Over the last 20 years, detailed human clinical studies published in major medical journals have shown PGX to exert the following benefits:^2-4

Reduces appetite and promotes satiety.^2,3
Reduce the glycemic index of any food, beverage, or meal by as much as 70%.^4,5
Increase insulin sensitivity and promote improved blood sugar control.⁶
Helps to stabilize blood sugar levels to reduce food cravings.⁶
Promotes safe and effective weight control.⁶

Some of these benefits are due to PGX naturally raising GLP-1 levels.⁷

As PGX travels through the small intestine and colon it does two things to increase GLP-1: (1) it stimulates the release of GLP-1 in a pulse-like fashion from the L-cells, and (2) it increases the number of GLP-1 producing L-cells in the small intestine and colon.

The repeated pulses of GLP-1 release allows for the body to handle GLP-1 as it was designed, but still allow a prolonged effect. This longer effect is clearly present based upon the effect PGX has on satiety.

And the longer you use PGX, the more effective it becomes at helping control blood sugar levels and food cravings because it is working to boost GLP-1 production by increasing the number of L-cells.

If you want to lose weight or improve blood sugar control, I cannot recommend PGX strongly enough. It flat out works!

PGX is available in a variety of different forms such as granules, capsules, and part of drink mixes for satiety or meal replacement. I prefer the granules and the meal replacement formulas. The key is to take 5 grams of PGX before meals three times per day.

References:

Wilding JPH, Batterham RL, Davies M, et al. STEP 1 Study Group. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022 Aug;24(8):1553-1564.
Kacinik V, Lyon M, Purnama M, et al. Effect of PGX, a novel functional fibre supplement, on subjective ratings of appetite in overweight and obese women consuming a 3-day structured, low-calorie diet. Nutr Diabetes. 2011 Dec 12;1(12):e22.
Yong MK, Solah VA, Johnson SK, Meng X, Kerr DA, James AP, Fenton HK, Gahler RJ, Wood S. Effects of a viscous-fibre supplemented evening meal and the following un-supplemented breakfast on post-prandial satiety responses in healthy women. Physiol Behav. 2016 Feb 1;154:34-9.
Brand-Miller JC, Atkinson FS, Gahler RJ, et al. Effects of PGX, a novel functional fibre, on acute and delayed postprandial glycaemia. Eur J Clin Nutr 2010 Dec;64(12):1488-93.
Jenkins AL, Kacinik V, Lyon MR, Wolever TMS. Reduction of postprandial glycemia by the novel viscous polysaccharide PGX in a dose-dependent manner, independent of food form. J Am Coll Nutr 2010;29(2):92-98.
Lyon MR, Reichert RG. The effect of a novel viscous polysaccharide along with lifestyle changes on short-term weight loss and associated risk factors in overweight and obese adults: an observational retrospective clinical program analysis. Altern Med Rev. 2010 Apr;15(1):68-75.
Grover GJ, Koetzner L, Wicks J, et al. Effects of the soluble fiber complex PolyGlycopleX® (PGX®) on glycemic control, insulin secretion, and GLP-1 levels in Zucker diabetic rats. Life Sci. 2011 Feb 28;88(9-10):392-9.