.
Inflammation is a broad health issue, and we are just starting to understand its importance.
GLP 1 agonists are anti inflammatory. We prescribe semaglutide and tirzepatide, the GLP 1 agonists, in our clinic for weight loss. If you read our blogs, you will see study after study showing amazing effects of these medications that are independent of weight loss-lower dementia rates, heart disease, knee arthritis, kidney disease, helping infertility, and lower mortality from Covid. 
So that begs the question WHY? Why do these diabetes and weight loss medications help so many other body systems?
And the answer is likely their anti inflammatory effect.
Inflammation is a broad term. When you have an infection or an injury, you know it. The signs of inflammation are rubor (redness), tumor (swelling), calor (heat), and dolor (pain). You see it. It is red, swollen. It hurts. You get a fever. And to fix it, you treat the offending agent. If you sprained your ankle, you elevate, ice, and don’t use it. If you have pneumonia, you take antibiotics. Your body is wired to have an inflammatory response which brings proteins, hormones, and other factors to fight infection and promote healing.
But what about chronic low grade inflammation? This is sneaky inflammation. It is silent. This can be due to smoking, obesity, high blood sugar. You don’t feel this inflammation with swelling, pain, and redness. There was a study by Dr. Ridker in the 1990s who studied blood samples in healthy men over time. He found normal healthy people with elevated inflammatory markers. Those men went on to have heart attacks and strokes at higher rates than other men. It led to high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Semaglutide and Tirzepatide seem to have this anti inflammatory effect. Many doctors are documenting patients who had painful rheumatoid arthritis which is now in remission. There is a study published showing lower knee osteoarthritis. Dementia progression is lower. Heart disease is lower.
How can you test? We test for many of these inflammatory markers at Biohackr Health. We believe in this inflammatory etiology of disease. There are markers in the blood that can be read by blood testing, specifically C reactive protein, LDL cholesterol, Lipoprotein a. A new study published by Dr. Ridker in the New England Journal of Medicine 2023 shows testing cholesterol, inflammatory markers, and Lipoprotein a predicted cardiovascular events in women over a 30 year period. This means a single blood test of inflammatory markers PREDICTED who was at risk. Given that chronic inflammation is silent, these blood tests are so important.
So come in and get tested for your cholesterol and inflammatory markers.
If you are overweight, GLP 1 agonists don’t just help with weight loss, they help with a host of other inflammatory issues.
