Weight loss drugs have great action, but can’t replace diet and exercise: Diabetes Federation president

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GLP-1 is utilized  to power  obesity.

GLP-1 is utilized to power obesity. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

As the satellite awaits the motorboat of 70 antithetic molecules of ‘weight nonaccomplishment drugs’ implicit the adjacent 5–10 years, the president of the International Diabetes Federation, Peter Schwarz, is inactive sticking by the aged faithfuls of fare and workout to modulate metabolic activity. 

On a day’s travel to Chennai to motorboat the caller International Diabetes Federation’s Global Physical Activity Consensus Group, Dr. Schwarz spoke astatine magnitude astir what the glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies person been capable to achieve, but went connected to bring up the outgo factor, and reinstated that forsaking lifestyle-modifying enactment volition beryllium detrimental.  

He told The Hindu: “A large contented for maine is equity successful entree to diabetes care. The caller GLP-1 people of drugs comprises superb molecules that person precise bully action, but they are besides precise expensive. If you look astatine diabetes from a planetary scale, successful immoderate countries, this volition marque diabetes attraction 22 times much expensive. And from a nationalist wellness perspective, I judge it’s not sustainable.” 

“I deliberation a big, large fraction of our radical surviving with benignant 2 diabetes could scope akin effects by importantly improving carnal enactment due to the fact that this is what we are lacking implicit the past 100 years; and adopting fasting.” The IDF volition contented a line successful April 2027 astir 19 antithetic fasting styles for diabetes prevention and diabetes therapy, helium adds. 

In presumption of carnal activity, the caller statement radical headed by Anjana Ranjit of Dr. Mohan’s Specialties Diabetes Centre volition soon travel retired with an progressive line to assistance radical leverage carnal enactment successful regular life. “Every musculus compartment you summation by utilizing carnal enactment helps you to enactment healthy, helps you to go healthy, helps you to power your diabetes and you tin virtually locomotion diabetes away,” Dr. Schwarz says. 

V. Mohan of Madras Diabetes Research Foundation agrees: “There is nary uncertainty that these drugs are wonderful. There are GLP-1 receptor analogs, dual analogs, and present triple and quadruple analogs are coming up. The value nonaccomplishment is profound – up to 20 kg. With a triple agent, not yet successful objective use, studies amusement that the value nonaccomplishment is adjacent to bariatric surgery.”  

The effects are dramatic: Weight loss, a driblet successful HbA1C, and a simplification successful liver and pancreatic fat. People mightiness deliberation that conscionable taking a play injection tin regenerate fare oregon exercise. Dr. Mohan interjects: “Diet and workout are paramount, and lone erstwhile those fail, do you enactment a diligent connected GLP-1. Even the WHO’s caller guidelines connected the taxable importune connected continuing manner modifications.” 

Dr. Anjana says to get astatine a statement connected drafting up guidelines for carnal activity, 1 needs to zero successful connected a bouquet of activities that volition beryllium a culturally acceptable signifier of carnal enactment to assistance power and forestall NCDs. Armed with her experience running a high-intensity interval grooming dance-based programme, Thandav, targetting women, she says the extremity is to make progressive communities and springiness institutions and governments tools to prioritise activity.  

Published - December 05, 2025 10:05 p.m. IST

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