Oral semaglutide leads to weight loss by improving eating control in diabetics: Study

Denmark: Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) taking oral semaglutide for 12 weeks had lower energy intake resulting in reduced body fat mass, according to a recent study in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism. Further it was associated with improved eating control and increased fullness and satiety after a fat-rich breakfast.

Tine Bækdal, Novo Nordisk A/S, Søborg, Denmark, and colleagues aimed to evaluate the effect of oral semaglutide on energy intake and appetite in subjects with type 2 diabetes. 

For the study, the researchers administered 12 weeks of treatment with once‐daily oral semaglutide (4‐week dose escalation from 3 to 7 to 14 mg) followed by placebo, or vice versa to 15 subjects with T2D. Energy intake was measured during an ad libitum lunch, evening meal and snack box after a standard breakfast.

Appetite ratings were measured using a visual analogue scale after standard and fat‐rich breakfasts. Other assessments included eating and craving control (using the Control of Eating Questionnaire), and changes in body weight and composition. 

"After 12 weeks of treatment, ad libitum energy intake was lower with oral semaglutide versus placebo, resulting in reduced body fat mass, and was associated with increased satiety and fullness after a fat‐rich breakfast, and improved eating control," wrote the authors. 

"These findings provide a possible mechanism for the sustained weight loss seen with oral semaglutide in phase 3 trials," they concluded.

The study, "Effects of oral semaglutide on energy intake, food preference, appetite, control of eating and body weight in subjects with type 2 diabetes," is published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.

DOI: https://dom-pubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/dom.14255