HOW TO INCREASE GLP-1 LEVELS WITHOUT OZEMPIC
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Lately, Ozempic aka semaglutide has taken center-stage in the weight loss world, and for good reason. Studies show that most people who take Wegovy (another brand of semaglutide that is FDA-cleared for fat loss) lose between 5-15% of their body weight after 68 weeks of treatment1. That means that if someone weighs 225 lbs, they can lose about 35 lbs in a little over a year.
Ozempic works by mimicking a hormone made by your body called GLP-1. GLP-1 is released from your gut cells in response to food intake. It stimulates insulin secretion, slows gastric emptying, and promotes feelings of fullness2. Because GLP-1 stimulates insulin secretion and lowers blood glucose, increasing levels in the body can help people with type II diabetes control their glucose levels. This also helps with weight loss because it reduces appetite and overall food intake.
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The Dark Side of Ozempic
While many people experience life-changing fat loss with semaglutide, there are some potential side effects. Some of the most common ones are nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, indigestion, constipation, and abdominal pain3. Not fun. Another unwanted side effect that has gained attention recently is severe muscle loss. Some studies show that 40-60% of the weight that people lose on semaglutide comes from muscle4. This isn’t great because muscle mass is correlated with longevity5. Muscle also helps lower glucose levels6, keeps your bones strong7, and makes you look good!
Ozempic can be a life-changing drug if you’re obese and nothing else has worked for you. But if you don’t have a ton of weight to lose, there are some biohacks and supplements you can implement to naturally increase your GLP-1 levels.
Here they are:
High Protein Diet
Higher protein diets increase GLP-1 levels and can be effective for fat loss.
1. Eat more protein
Studies show that higher protein diets increase GLP-1 levels and can be effective for fat loss8. You’ll want to aim for about 1 gram of high-quality protein per pound of your ideal body weight per day. High-quality proteins include grass-fed beef, lamb, pasture-raised eggs, wild game, wild-caught seafood, and raw A2 dairy if you tolerate it.
2. Increase your butyrate levels
Butyrate is a short-chain fatty acid that your gut bacteria make. Butyrate supports your immune system (which mostly lies in your gut), helps maintain your intestinal lining, and has anti-inflammatory properties9,10. Studies show that it also stimulates your body to make GLP-1, which may lead to reduced food intake and weight loss11. Your gut bacteria produce butyrate when they feed on resistant starch and prebiotic fiber, so adding these to your diet can help increase your butyrate levels. You can also find butyrate in certain foods or purchase it as a supplement. Butter, a staple in the Bulletproof diet, is a great source of butyrate.
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3. Take Akkermansia
Akkermansia is a bacterium that lives in your gut. Studies show that the more Akkermansia you have in your gut, the less likely you are to have diabetes, obesity, and inflammatory bowel disease12. Akkermansia creates a special protein that increases GLP-1 in the gut13. Studies show that you may be able to promote Akkermansia abundance by eating prebiotic fiber and polyphenols14 but the easiest way to increase your levels is to take Akkermansia as a probiotic supplement.
4. Take panax ginseng
Panax ginseng is a medicinal herb traditionally used for cognitive health and energy levels. Studies show that ginsenosides, which are bioactive components of ginseng, increase GLP-1 levels15. You can take panax ginseng as a supplement or add it to tea.
5. Drink (mold-free) coffee
Coffee isn’t just good for your brain! Studies show that certain polyphenols found in coffee stimulate GLP-1 production16. The problem with coffee is that most of it contains mold toxins (mycotoxins) which can sabotage your fat loss efforts. Go for a mycotoxin-free, lab-tested coffee like Danger Coffee. Plus you’ll get the added benefit of over 50 trace minerals and electrolytes to power your cells.
GLP-1 promotes feelings of fullness
GLP-1 is released from your gut cells in response to food intake.
1. Bergmann, N. C., Davies, M. J., Lingvay, I., & Knop, F. K. (2023). Semaglutide for the treatment of overweight and obesity: A review. Diabetes, obesity & metabolism, 25(1), 18–35. https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.14863
2. Müller, T. D., Finan, B., Bloom, S. R., D'Alessio, D., Drucker, D. J., Flatt, P. R., Fritsche, A., Gribble, F., Grill, H. J., Habener, J. F., Holst, J. J., Langhans, W., Meier, J. J., Nauck, M. A., Perez-Tilve, D., Pocai, A., Reimann, F., Sandoval, D. A., Schwartz, T. W., Seeley, R. J., … Tschöp, M. H. (2019). Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1). Molecular metabolism, 30, 72–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molmet.2019.09.010
3. Filippatos, T. D., Panagiotopoulou, T. V., & Elisaf, M. S. (2014). Adverse Effects of GLP-1 Receptor Agonists. The review of diabetic studies: RDS, 11(3-4), 202–230. https://doi.org/10.1900/RDS.2014.11.202
4. Neeland IJ, Linge J, Birkenfeld AL. Changes in lean body mass with glucagon-like peptide-1-based therapies and mitigation strategies. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2024
Sep;26 Suppl 4:16-27. doi: 10.1111/dom.15728. Epub 2024 Jun 27. PMID: 38937282.
5. Srikanthan, P., & Karlamangla, A. S. (2014). Muscle mass index as a predictor of longevity in older adults. The American journal of medicine, 127(6), 547–553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2014.02.007
6. Taha M, AlNaam YA, Al Maqati T, Almusallam L, Altalib G, Alowfi D, Haider N. Impact of muscle mass on blood glucose level. J Basic Clin Physiol Pharmacol. 2021 Dec 3;33(6):779-787. doi: 10.1515/jbcpp-2021-0316. PMID: 34856088.
7. Han H, Chen S, Wang X, Jin J, Li X, Li Z. Association between muscle strength and mass and bone mineral density in the US general population: data from NHANES 1999-2002. J Orthop Surg Res. 2023 Jun 1;18(1):397. doi: 10.1186/s13018-023- 03877-4. PMID: 37264353; PMCID: PMC10233893.
8. Stentz FB, Mikhael A, Kineish O, Christman J, Sands C. High protein diet leads to prediabetes remission and positive changes in incretins and cardiovascular risk factors. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2021 Apr 9;31(4):1227-1237. doi: 10.1016/j.numecd.2020.11.027. Epub 2020 Dec 8. PMID: 33549435.
9. Mohamed Elfadil O, Mundi MS, Abdelmagid MG, Patel A, Patel N, Martindale R. Butyrate: More Than a Short Chain Fatty Acid. Curr Nutr Rep. 2023 Jun;12(2):255- 262. doi: 10.1007/s13668-023-00461-4. Epub 2023 Feb 10. PMID: 36763294.
10.Wiertsema, S. P., van Bergenhenegouwen, J., Garssen, J., & Knippels, L. M. J. (2021). The Interplay between the Gut Microbiome and the Immune System in the Context of Infectious Diseases throughout Life and the Role of Nutrition in Optimizing Treatment Strategies. Nutrients, 13(3), 886. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030886
11. Yadav, H., Lee, J. H., Lloyd, J., Walter, P., & Rane, S. G. (2013). Beneficial metabolic effects of a probiotic via butyrate-induced GLP-1 hormone secretion. The Journal of biological chemistry, 288(35), 25088–25097.
https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M113.452516
12.Rodrigues, V. F., Elias-Oliveira, J., Pereira, Í. S., Pereira, J. A., Barbosa, S. C., Machado, M. S. G., & Carlos, D. (2022). Akkermansia muciniphila and Gut Immune System: A Good Friendship That Attenuates Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Obesity, and Diabetes. Frontiers in immunology, 13, 934695.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.934695
13. Cani PD, Knauf C. A newly identified protein from Akkermansia muciniphila stimulates GLP-1 secretion. Cell Metab. 2021 Jun 1;33(6):1073-1075. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2021.05.004. PMID: 34077715.
14. Zhou K. Strategies to promote abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila, an emerging probiotics in the gut, evidence from dietary intervention studies. J Funct Foods.
2017 Jun;33:194-201. doi: 10.1016/j.jff.2017.03.045. Epub 2017 Mar 29. PMID: 30416539; PMCID: PMC6223323.
15. Liu C, Zhang M, Hu MY, Guo HF, Li J, Yu YL, Jin S, Wang XT, Liu L, Liu XD. Increased glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion may be involved in antidiabetic effects of ginsenosides. J Endocrinol. 2013 Apr 15;217(2):185-96. doi: 10.1530/JOE-12-0502. PMID: 23444389.
16.McCarty MF. A chlorogenic acid-induced increase in GLP-1 production may mediate the impact of heavy coffee consumption on diabetes risk. Med Hypotheses. 2005;64(4):848-53. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2004.03.037. PMID: 15694706.
