Ozempic, Wegovy can change the taste of food, especially sweets

Semaglutide, or Ozempic, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonist. Originally used as a medicine for type 2 diabetes, it lowers blood sugar levels.

Semaglutide also reduces appetite and slows digestion, leading to a decrease in food intake and weight loss. Because obesity has been a challenge for many people, and so few drugs help with weight loss, medicine has taken the world by storm.

Health line spoke with Mir Ali, MD, a board-certified bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Weight Loss Surgery Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA.

“These drugs are more effective than previously available medications in that they directly target hormones that help the patient feel less hungry and fuller for a longer period,” he explained.

We all tend to enjoy foods high in fat and sugar – these chemicals are the fuel of life. So when we consume them, our brain “rewards” us with a jolt of pleasure.

In modern Western societies, fat and sugar are much easier to find than they were thousands of years ago.

Our brains, however, have not yet caught up with the modern food environment and its dizzying array of brightly colored, highly palatable foods and drinks.

Accessible with the swipe of a phone screen, we’re constantly inundated with options to load up on these delicious, high-calorie ingredients. Research has found that as we eat more of these foods, we may become less sensitive to them, which may be a component of obesity risk.

For example, previous research showed that people with obesity are less sensitive to sweet tastes, but even more attracted by them. Meanwhile, animal studies have shown that GLP-1 signaling plays a role in the sensitivity of taste, and sweet taste in particular.

Because of these intriguing relationships, some researchers have wondered whether a change in taste sensitivity might play a role in semaglutide’s weight loss effects.

Although scientists know that semaglutide mimics the hormones that tell the brain that you are full, this may not be the only mechanism by which it reduces appetite and promotes weight loss.

There is growing evidence that semaglutide and other GLP-1 agonists can also change the way people experience tastes.

In the latest study, Sever and colleagues recruited 30 women with obesity and an average age of about 34 years. Half received semaglutide once a week, the other received a placebo.

At the beginning and end of the 16-week study, the scientists measured three things:

1. Taste sensitivity: It is measured using strips saturated with the four basic tastes – sweet, sour, salty and bitter.
2. Gene expression: By taking biopsies of the participants’ tongues.
3. Brain responses: Assessed by a functional MRI scan while a sweet solution dripped on their tongue before and after a meal.

At the end of the study, the researchers found that those taking semaglutide were more sensitive to tastes than those taking the placebo.

According to the abstract, tongue biopsies showed increased activity of genes associated with “taste signal transduction pathways, neural plasticity and regeneration of taste buds in the tongue.”

Finally, brain scans showed that, in response to tasting a sweet solution, there was increased activity in the angular gyrus of the parietal cortex.

This brain region plays a complex role. The angular gyrus combines information from different senses and helps make sense of events or stimuli.

The angular gyrus of the parietal cortex houses GLP-1 receptors and, as the authors of the abstract write, is part of a “network associated with the shifting of attention between rewarding and neutral stimuli.”

This change in the angular gyrus can alter an individual’s perception of the reward associated with sweet tastes. In this way, it can support dietary changes and lead the individual to a healthy weight.

We should emphasize that this is only a proof-of-concept study conducted on a small group of people.

As Sever explains, because the research was conducted in a laboratory setting, it “may not reflect everyday experience. Taste perception can vary significantly from person to person, limiting the generalizability of our results.”

While the weight loss results associated with semaglutide have been impressive, the drug is only suitable for some people.

Semaglutide has become fashionable in some circles, which is raising concerns among experts. Health line He recently spoke with Federica Amati, PhD, a postdoctoral medical scientist and chief nutritionist at ZOE, a science and nutrition company.

“While semaglutide works extremely well for some people,” explained Amati, who was not involved in the study, “it is not without its downsides.”

“You should only take it if prescribed by a doctor in the context of a multidisciplinary team that includes psychotherapy, physical activity and, most importantly, dietary advice.”

She explained why eating a good diet is especially important: Because semaglutide reduces appetite, if the individual does not consume a healthy and varied diet, there is a risk that they will miss out on important nutrients.

“Also, it’s a prescription for life,” Amati continued, “people who take it off tend to gain the weight back, so it’s not a quick fix. And more than a third of people experience side effects.”

While most of these side effects are not serious, Amati stressed that they “can be really inconvenient.”

Semaglutide may change the way people perceive sweet tastes.

This can help with weight loss. However, although it is effective for many people, semaglutide is not without its drawbacks and should be used with caution.