Do 'Natural GLP-1 Supplements' Actually Work? Here's What Experts Think.
Recently, celebrity Kourtney Kardashian unveiled her GLP-1 Daily capsules, a new product in her popular Lemme vitamin and supplement line. According to its website, the plant-based supplement “supports your body’s GLP-1 hormone, reduces hunger, promotes healthy insulin function and supports healthy weight management with 3 clinically-tested ingredients.”
Kardashian’s capsules join a market full of “natural GLP-1 supplements” that promise to boost your body’s GLP-1 production, capitalizing on the effectiveness of medications like Ozempic, Zepbound and Wegovy for weight loss while offering a cheaper alternative. Those prescription drugs mimic GLP-1, a hormone that helps you feel full and controls your blood sugar. But there are major differences between supplements and GLP-1 drugs.
The supplements “just contain some natural products and then flavonoids. ... There’s no GLP-1 component,” said Dr. Eduardo Grunvald, the medical director of the weight management program at UC San Diego Health in California.
Though these supplements promise to increase your body’s GLP-1 levels, that claim may be misleading.
Food naturally boosts your body’s GLP-1 levels, explained Dr. Sun Kim, an endocrinologist at Stanford Health Care in California. But for people who live with diabetes or obesity, these levels generally won’t get as high as they do in individuals without these conditions.
This is where prescription GLP-1 medications come in. The drugs are made to keep GLP-1 levels elevated for longer periods “so that they work to really control blood sugar and also reduce appetite longer,” Kim said.
But this is not the same for the GLP-1 supplements (or for food). Even if supplements claim to boost your natural GLP-1 levels, it won’t be for any meaningful amount of time because your body processes GLP-1 very quickly, Kim said.
“If you were just taking a [supplement] ... that increased your own GLP-1, it may work briefly, but then it might get rapidly broken down — and I haven’t personally seen evidence for ... how effective they are at even increasing GLP-1, even if it’s short-lived,” she added.
Websites for these supplements often cite research backing their claims, but Grunvald said more studies are needed with more participants before anything can be proved about GLP-1 production, appetite cessation or weight management.
Additionally, GLP-1 supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as drugs. This means they aren’t examined for effectiveness and safety and aren’t held to the same standard as GLP-1 medications, Grunvald explained.
GLP-1 medications have been studied, tested and approved for use, which makes Kim comfortable recommending them to patients.
“Whereas supplements, maybe there’s a study, but it hasn’t gone through the rigorous process of getting that drug approved,” Kim said. “So it’s harder for me to say it’s going to have any benefits for them, and that more importantly there’s no ingredients that could potentially be harmful.”
Instead of relying on supplements, talk to a professional about your health goals.
Due to the lack of research surrounding GLP-1 supplements, you’ll likely be hard-pressed to find a medical professional who recommends these products.
“When people are turning to supplements, they need to ask themselves what they’re hoping to gain, and then realize that a lot of supplements are not going to help them with their goals,” Kim said.
You should talk to your doctor or care team about effective strategies to help you achieve your health goals, whether that means going on GLP-1 medications, adjusting your lifestyle habits, or speaking to a therapist or dietitian about your relationship with food.
Grunvald pointed out that GLP-1 drugs are not the right choice for everyone. These medications are designed for treating the disease of obesity, rather than simple weight loss.
“When we talk about weight loss, it’s often a cosmetic endeavor or not for improving your health,” Grunvald said. “So there’s a lot of people out there that use even the real drugs that should not really be on them because they don’t really qualify for their use.”
Some people on GLP-1 medications don’t have a qualifying body mass index, for example, or they don’t have weight-related complications that make them eligible.
“If you don’t fit in that category, people like you have not been studied,” Grunvald said. “So even with the real drugs, we don’t know the effectiveness and the safety when you’re starting off with a lower weight.”
This makes it even more important to talk to a doctor before trying out any medications — or supplements.
For those who need them, GLP-1 drugs can have benefits; they are shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems and are tied to a lower risk of colorectal cancer. But this is not the case for supplements you can buy online. There’s a reason that GLP-1 supplements probably sound too good to be true.
“This is just someone trying to profit off the big weight-loss boom that’s going on with these real drugs,” Grunvald said of supplement companies.
If you’re struggling with an eating disorder, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for support.
