Can the Sweet Tooth Gene Tell Us Who Should Take Ozempic?
People with a specific type of gene that researchers have referred to as the “sweet tooth gene” are more likely to successfully fight obesity using weight loss drugs, the Cleveland Clinic concluded in a study published in early September.
The study found that individuals with certain variations of Neurobeachin, called the the “sweet tooth gene” by researchers because it’s associated with a preference to eat more sweets, are more likely to have success losing weight when using GLP-1 agonist medications, including Ozempic and Trulicity. These are a class of medications that mainly help manage blood sugar levels for people with Type 2 diabetes, but some have also been shown to treat obesity.
This research could change the way obesity is treated, Daniel Rotroff, one of the authors and chair of the Department of Quantitative Health Sciences at the Cleveland Clinic, said.
“We want to pick treatments for patients that are going to work best for them,” he said. “Also, it’s expensive. It just requires resources of patients hoping for a treatment when there could be another option for them [that’s] more effective.”
Excerpted from WOSU Public Media
