Following on from my recent article on GLP-1 medications and their effects on rapid weight loss, being from body fat (adipose tissue), but unfortunately also from lean muscle mass and bone mass too, there are some other unintended side effects of this weight loss which people don’t seem to understand but can be very bad for their health.
Our body fat stores are a biological and evolutionary advantage in some situations, such as in colder climates as it offers a level of insulation to the core organs and tissues. Our body fat can sustain life and body functions for longer in times of food shortages due to seasonal declines or the effects of severe weather events such as droughts which traditionally can limit food availability. But these advantages are much less of a benefit in modern Western cities and diets with an abundance of food.
But body fat can also be a disadvantage too. Body fat is a metabolically active tissue (Richard, White, Elks & Stephens, 2020), in that it produces metabolic hormones, which can affect your metabolism, appetite, immune system function, reproduction and fertility, bone health, and more. The hormones from increased body fat can create a vicious cycle of increased oestrogens (affecting female hormone balance, or having massive effects on male hormones), decreased satiety and increased hunger (due to leptin resistance), increased inflammation, which can all contribute to further weight gain.
Body fat can also be an area where your body will store toxins and chemicals and heavy metals, especially if your detoxification organs and functions are overwhelmed by the amount of these that you are exposed to in your diet or environment. Your body does not like having these toxins and chemicals going around the body in the blood all the time, so your body will cleverly get these toxins and chemicals out of the bloodstream into other body areas instead – into your body fat!
When you reduce body fat due to increased exercise or from reduced food intake or starvation (which these GLP-1 medications cause by reducing your appetite and hunger, and slowing digestion), your body will turn to your body fat as a source of energy.
Reduced body fat stores will also release these stored toxins and chemicals and heavy metals into your bloodstream again! (Jandacek, Liu & Tso, 2024). This will cause a LOT of toxicity, oxidative damage, and inflammation symptoms, and likely overwhelm your detoxification organs (liver and kidneys etc) and cause damage to them.
Recirculating toxins and chemicals will also affect your brain and affect your mental health, but also affect all organs and tissues, and therefore your overall health. The released toxins and chemicals and heavy metals may cause symptoms of fatigue, poor memory, poor concentration, headaches or migraines, increased mental health symptoms, inflammatory symptoms in the digestive system or on the skin, liver pain, or other symptoms.
Hence if you are using GLP-1 medications you need to take this info into account, and include in your health plan some ways to prevent the inflammation, oxidative damage and toxicity during your weight loss.
Additionally, due to the reduced nutrient intake from the reduced appetite and slower digestion, you need to include treatments to prevent the muscle loss and bone loss, and prevent other chronic health issues which result from the nutrient deficiencies or the muscle/bone loss.
Taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss or diabetes without these precautions will likely affect both your short-term and long-term health.
Stay healthy!
References:
Jandacek, R., Liu, M., & Tso, P. (2024). Interactions of Body Weight Loss with Lipophilic Toxin Storage: Commentary, Journal of Nutrition, 154 (3):801–803. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.01.018
Richard, A.J., White, U., Elks, C.M., & Stephens, J.M. (2020). Adipose Tissue: Physiology to Metabolic Dysfunction. Endotext [Internet]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555602/
Our body fat stores are a biological and evolutionary advantage in some situations, such as in colder climates as it offers a level of insulation to the core organs and tissues. Our body fat can sustain life and body functions for longer in times of food shortages due to seasonal declines or the effects of severe weather events such as droughts which traditionally can limit food availability. But these advantages are much less of a benefit in modern Western cities and diets with an abundance of food.
But body fat can also be a disadvantage too. Body fat is a metabolically active tissue (Richard, White, Elks & Stephens, 2020), in that it produces metabolic hormones, which can affect your metabolism, appetite, immune system function, reproduction and fertility, bone health, and more. The hormones from increased body fat can create a vicious cycle of increased oestrogens (affecting female hormone balance, or having massive effects on male hormones), decreased satiety and increased hunger (due to leptin resistance), increased inflammation, which can all contribute to further weight gain.
Body fat can also be an area where your body will store toxins and chemicals and heavy metals, especially if your detoxification organs and functions are overwhelmed by the amount of these that you are exposed to in your diet or environment. Your body does not like having these toxins and chemicals going around the body in the blood all the time, so your body will cleverly get these toxins and chemicals out of the bloodstream into other body areas instead – into your body fat!
When you reduce body fat due to increased exercise or from reduced food intake or starvation (which these GLP-1 medications cause by reducing your appetite and hunger, and slowing digestion), your body will turn to your body fat as a source of energy.
Reduced body fat stores will also release these stored toxins and chemicals and heavy metals into your bloodstream again! (Jandacek, Liu & Tso, 2024). This will cause a LOT of toxicity, oxidative damage, and inflammation symptoms, and likely overwhelm your detoxification organs (liver and kidneys etc) and cause damage to them.
Recirculating toxins and chemicals will also affect your brain and affect your mental health, but also affect all organs and tissues, and therefore your overall health. The released toxins and chemicals and heavy metals may cause symptoms of fatigue, poor memory, poor concentration, headaches or migraines, increased mental health symptoms, inflammatory symptoms in the digestive system or on the skin, liver pain, or other symptoms.
Hence if you are using GLP-1 medications you need to take this info into account, and include in your health plan some ways to prevent the inflammation, oxidative damage and toxicity during your weight loss.
Additionally, due to the reduced nutrient intake from the reduced appetite and slower digestion, you need to include treatments to prevent the muscle loss and bone loss, and prevent other chronic health issues which result from the nutrient deficiencies or the muscle/bone loss.
Taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss or diabetes without these precautions will likely affect both your short-term and long-term health.
Stay healthy!
References:
Jandacek, R., Liu, M., & Tso, P. (2024). Interactions of Body Weight Loss with Lipophilic Toxin Storage: Commentary, Journal of Nutrition, 154 (3):801–803. doi: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.01.018
Richard, A.J., White, U., Elks, C.M., & Stephens, J.M. (2020). Adipose Tissue: Physiology to Metabolic Dysfunction. Endotext [Internet]. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555602/
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