Sometimes one hears about agonist drugs. What are they, and how do they work?
The following is by my understanding.
In biology, an agonist is a molecule that mimics another one the the cell is expecting. The agonist, when it lands at the receptor site it’s designed for, will cause the cell hosting that site to react in some predictable way.
GLP-1 agonists include Ozempic, for instance. In this case, GLP-1 refers to the hormone the agonist is mimicking. GLP-1 is made by the body and stimulates insulin release. It also slows the pace of food through the digestive system, so digestion takes longer. Moreover, it causes the person to feel full as a result of eating.
Therefore, if one takes a GLP-1 agonist such as Ozempic, the intention is that one will experience increased insulin release, slower digestion, and a greater feeling of fullness after eating. The idea behind such a prescription is that the body isn’t releasing as much GLP-1 as would be optimal, so the agonist tops up the effective supply in order to achieve the same results as if the body simply produced more GLP-1 on it own.
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