Weight effects of antidiabetic agents

The cardiovascular effects of novel weight loss therapies

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached pandemic proportions. Obesity is known to increase the risk for Type 2 diabetes and hypertension, as well as the risk for overt cardiovascular (CV) disease, including myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke. The rising prevalence of obesity may counteract the recent advances in primary and secondary prevention of CV disease. Overweight and obesity are common in patients with CV disease; however, cardiologists face several challenges in managing body weight in this population. Many may not consider obesity as a therapeutic target probably because there were no previous highly effective and safe pharmacologic interventions to consider. In addition, they may not have the expertise or resources to implement lifestyle interventions and may have limited familiarity with obesity pharmacotherapy. Moreover, the long-term CV effects of obesity pharmacotherapy remain uncertain due to limited CV outcome data with weight loss as the primary intervention. Although current CV guidelines recognize the importance of weight loss, they primarily focus on lifestyle modifications, with fewer details on strategies to utilize obesity pharmacotherapy and surgery. However, the recent 2022 American Diabetes Association/European Association for the Study of Diabetes consensus on the management of Type 2 diabetes has moved up weight management to the front of the treatment algorithm, by prioritizing the use of pharmacologic interventions such as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, which have potent weight-lowering effects, in addition to glucose-lowering effects. This review appraises the current evidence regarding the CV effects of weight-loss interventions. Considering this evidence, practical guidance is provided to assist cardiologists in developing and implementing treatment plans, which may allow optimal weight management while maximizing CV benefits and minimizing side effects to improve the overall well-being of people with CV disease.

Tirzepatide-Friend or Foe in Diabetic Cancer Patients?

It is a well-accepted fact that obesity and diabetes increase the risk of incidence of different cancers and their progression, leading to a decrease in the quality of life among affected cancer patients. In addition to decreasing the risk of cancers, maintaining a healthy body mass index (BMI)/body weight and/or blood glucose levels within the normal range critically impacts the response to anti-cancer therapy among affected individuals. A cancer patient managing their body weight and maintaining blood glucose control responds better to anti-cancer therapy than obese individuals and those whose blood glucose levels remain higher than normal during therapeutic intervention. In some cases, anti-diabetic/glucose-lowering drugs, some of which are also used to promote weight loss, were found to possess anti-cancer potential themselves and/or support anti-cancer therapy when used to treat such patients. On the other hand, certain glucose-lowering drugs promoted the cancer phenotype and risked cancer progression when used for treatment. Tirzepatide (TRZD), the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide/gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP) agonist, has recently gained interest as a promising injectable drug for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and was approved by the FDA after successful clinical trials (SURPASS 1/2/3/4 and 5, NCT03954834, NCT03987919, NCT03882970, NCT03730662, and NCT04039503). In addition, the reports from the SURMOUNT-1 clinical trial (NCT04184622) support the use of TRZD as an anti-obesity drug. In the current review article, we examine the possibility and molecular mechanisms of how TRZD intervention could benefit cancer therapeutics or increase the risk of cancer progression when used as an anti-diabetic drug in diabetic patients.

Insulin-associated Weight Gain in Type 2 Diabetes and Its Relation with Caloric Intake

Objective The aim of this study was to observe the weight change in a patient with type 2 diabetes initiated on insulin therapy and the relation of weight gain with caloric intake. Methods This retrospective longitudinal follow-up study was conducted at the Baqai Institute of Diabetology and Endocrinology (BIDE), a tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan. Records of 917 patients attending the tertiary care diabetic clinic were retrieved from January 2009 to May 2016 from the Hospital Management System (HMS). Subjects were divided into two groups: group A consisted of subjects on oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA), while group B consisted of subjects on insulin therapy with OHA. Change in weight, change in HbA1c, and change in calories intake were calculated by examining data at baseline and end-line visit of the study. Results Group B showed significantly higher weight gain than group A (48.3% vs 24.8%). Insulin therapy with OHA (OR (95% CI = 1.78(1.05-3.02)), increased caloric intake (OR [95% CI = 1.98(1.093.60)]) and decreased HbA1c (OR [95% CI = 0.44(0.24-0.79)]) were the only factors identified as significant predictors of weight gain. Conclusion It is concluded that type 2 diabetic subjects, especially on insulin treatment, gain weight due to increase or unadvised caloric intake. Long-term multicenter studies are needed to ascertain the findings of this study.