26. GLP-1 Series, Part 1: The Biology, the Drugs, and Why the Benefits Go Deeper Than the Scale
MD Longevity Lab: Playing the Long Game with Drs. Vikas and Nisha Patel
📝 Free Substack: mdlongevitylab.substack.com🌐 mdlongevitylab.com📸 @mdlongevitylab🎧 Subscribe, leave a 5-star review, and share this episode with one person who needs to hear it.GLP-1 medications are genuinely revolutionary — and genuinely misunderstood. The real conversation isn't hype or panic. In Part 1, we cover the evolutionary biology behind why these drugs work so powerfully, the full drug landscape from semaglutide to retatrutide, how to actually use the new oral pill formats correctly, and the systemic benefits that go far beyond the number on the scale. Part 2 drops alongside this one — don't skip it.
In this episode
Why our hunger biology was never built for the modern food environment — and what that means for obesity treatment
Semaglutide, tirzepatide, and retatrutide — the generation-by-generation breakdown, trial data, and side effect profile
Oral meds: why the 30-minute fasting window is pharmacologically non-negotiable
SELECT trial: 20% reduction in heart attacks and strokes — in patients without diabetes
Kidney protection, liver healing, sleep apnea, the Alzheimer's signal, and addiction medicine — what the evidence actually shows
"Food noise" isn't a metaphor — it's visible on brain MRI, and these drugs quiet it measurably.