Have Scientists Found a Natural Alternative to Ozempic?
Ozempic has become synonymous with rapid weight loss and blood sugar regulation, but scientists are now investigating whether nature offers a similar solution.
Is Ozempic Getting Competition?
Ozempic, a drug that mimics the action of the GLP-1 hormone, might soon face competition in the form of a gut bacterium.
A new lead in the fight against diabetes and sugar addiction comes from – the gut.
Researchers from the Chinese university Jiangnan believe they have discovered a way to naturally regulate blood sugar levels and reduce sugar cravings – similar to how Ozempic and related drugs work, reports Science Alert, cited by Nova.rs.
The key to this potential therapy lies in the gut microbiota, specifically in a certain bacterium and the substances it produces during digestion. By increasing the presence of this bacterium in diabetic mice, scientists managed to stimulate the secretion of GLP-1 hormone, which naturally regulates blood sugar levels and satiety.
This hormone – glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) – is already known to the public as the basis of drugs like semaglutide, the main active ingredient of Ozempic.
In people with type 2 diabetes, the function of the GLP-1 hormone is often impaired, making blood sugar control more difficult. That is why GLP-1 analogs, like Ozempic, have become an important tool in treating this disease. However, scientists are now seeking ways to encourage the body to naturally boost its own production of this hormone.
“A growing body of research suggests that our eating habits and cravings originate from signals sent by the gut system – an organ crucial for forming dietary preferences,” say the authors of a study published in January.
But which genes, microorganisms, and their substances actually regulate the desire for sugar has remained unclear until now.
The new research highlights the bacterium Bacteroides vulgatus as a potentially important player. Specifically, when mice were genetically prevented from producing the gut protein Ffar4, colonies of this bacterium significantly decreased, which also affected the lower levels of the hormone FGF21 – believed to be associated with sugar cravings.
Interestingly, FGF21 levels also increase with the use of GLP-1 drugs, and people with a genetic variation of this hormone are more prone to sugar cravings.
Blood analysis of 60 people with diabetes and 24 healthy individuals showed that mutations in the Ffar4 gene, which reduce FGF21 secretion, may be linked to increased sugar cravings – potentially contributing to the development of the disease.
The key to this entire puzzle, it seems, lies once again in the gut. When scientists gave mice a metabolite produced by B. vulgatus, it led to increased secretion of GLP-1 and subsequently FGF21 hormones – resulting in better sugar regulation and reduced sugar cravings.
Although this effect has so far only been confirmed in mice, the authors believe they are on the trail of a diabetes prevention strategy – without the need for medications.
