If you want Ozempic, what you actually need is...
If you’re considering a GLP-1 agonist (like Ozempic) its crucial to understand how it works, evaluate the risks, and most importantly what the underlying cause is in the first place.
Let’s dig in…
GLP-1 (Glucagon-like Peptide-1) is primarily produced by L-cells located in the small intestine that stimulates insulin secretion in the pancreas and suppresses glucagon secretion, thereby lowering blood glucose and increasing satiety.
Endogenously, Akkermansia Muciniphila is a type of beneficial gut bacteria that produces a protein called P9 that interacts with specific receptors on intestinal L-cells. This interaction stimulates these cells to release GLP-1.
Akkermansia represents 4% of total bacteria in healthy guts and is responsible for regulating and protecting the gut lining. It is usually destroyed by a single course of antibiotics.
Without Akkermansia, GLP-1 doesn’t get released.
The risks of using Ozempic (a popular GLP-1 agonist) are high. It can cause pancreatitis, gastroparesis, bowel obstruction and carries an FDA box warning for the risk of thyroid C-cell tumors.
When a person goes off Ozempic they always regain the weight making it an expensive lifelong medication. Most importantly it does not fix the underlying cause.
I already mentioned lack of Akkermansia as one cause, another and more pernicious cause is mitochondrial dysfunction.
The mitochondria are the energy producers for cells. The higher the energy need of a cell, the more mitochondria in it. For example, a single heart cell contains 5000-8000 mitochondria and a skeletal muscle cell contains 2000-5000.
Any slow down of mitochondrial function will cause blood glucose and insulin to rise (diabetes and obesity). So what are the inhibitors?
Other than the obvious one, processed food (fake food) the main culprits will probably surprise you:
Environmental estrogens from plastic food containers and plastic clothing (polyester, etc), skin care products, recycled paper, birth control and endogenous production upregulated by cortisol
Polyunsaturated fats (PUFA) from seed oils
Pesticides
Forever chems
At our upcoming Regenerative Retreat I’ll be lecturing on how to restore the microbiome and mitochondrial health. Specifically we’ll talk about how to get the xenoestrogens out of your body, what are healthy fats, why carbs don’t cause diabetes and other fun things!
Jonathan