Initially developed as potent anti-diabetic agents, they proliferated in 2023 as anti-obesity miracles, garnering acclaim for their capacity to induce substantial weight reduction and mitigate health complications linked to obesity. One of the preeminent scientific journals identifies the potential of Glp-1 receptor agonists, which are members of the Ozempic family, as the year’s discovery. “Science” has designated them as “Breakthrough of the Year” and a turning point of 2023 precisely because of the discovery they made this year regarding the effect they can have on obese patients.
Experts have identified genetic, physiological, environmental, and social factors contributing to this condition’s prevalence. Life-threatening medical complications may be attributed to obesity, such as cardiovascular ailments, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, hepatic disorders, and specific forms of cancer. Jennifer Couzin-Frankel, the article’s author, states that pharmacological treatments for obesity have a “dismal history, frequently intertwined with societal pressure to reduce weight and the widespread belief that excess weight reflects weak willpower.” However, a new category of pharmacological treatment for weight loss has emerged and is demonstrating “promising results.” Since their inception nearly two decades ago as a treatment for diabetes, interest in the use of Glp-1 drugs to treat obesity has increased dramatically.
Furthermore, in the current year, two fundamental clinical studies have been undertaken, as documented in Science, which have conclusively shown that Glp-1 agonists elicit substantial health advantages in addition to weight loss. In addition, several ongoing clinical trials investigate their potential for Parkinson’s disease treatment, addiction, and Alzheimer’s. Glp-1 agonists, notwithstanding their considerable potential, have engendered more inquiries than resolutions: this, according to a related editorial by Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of Science, indicates a genuine breakthrough. Couzin-Frankel underscores their acknowledgement of the intricate medical and social dimensions that obesity engenders.
The editorial and feature emphasise how the development and implementation of these medications are inciting crucial dialogues regarding the perception of obesity, which may contribute to the mitigation of stigma and prejudice surrounding individuals’ body weight. Concerns about the cost, availability, potential for indefinite use, and adverse effects of medications are further emphasised in Couzin-Frankel’s account. Additionally, physicians are apprehensive that individuals who are not obese or overweight might resort to their use as a means of expediting weight loss.
In the contest for the scientific breakthrough of the year, antibody therapies that can potentially impede neurodegeneration in the brains of individuals with Alzheimer’s trail behind Glp-1 agonists, according to Science. In addition, the identification of naturally occurring hydrogen sources beneath the Earth’s crust, the advocacy for systemic reforms in the treatment of early-career scientists in institutions across the globe, the validation of the ancient nature of human footprints discovered in a lake in New Mexico, the revelation that the Earth’s fundamental carbon pump is decelerating, the detection of interstellar signals originating from the merger of enormous black holes, and the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted discovery
