October 2026

Face to Face: GLP-1s Beyond Weight Loss

October 7, 2026   |   Alex Likowski

She tried going vegan, tried a high protein diet, she was even walking 20-thousand steps a day, but after giving birth to her second child, 23-time tennis grand slam champion Serena Williams finally met an opponent she could not beat: her weight. So, she did what fully 11-percent of Americans are doing about it right now, she turned to medication.

The popular term – GLP-1 – stands for Glucagon-like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist. GLP-1s are medications that act like a natural gut hormone, triggering the pancreas to release insulin when blood sugar levels increase and suppressing glucagon, a hormone that raises blood sugar. The result is slower digestion and a prolonged sense of fullness after eating.

In Williams’ case, her medication – marketed as Zepbound – also acts like a gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) which modifies the effects somewhat. The important thing for Williams is that she did lose 31 pounds and at age 44 was able to return to professional tennis and perform admirably at Wimbledon and the US Open this year.

Although many who now take GLP-1s are, like Serena Williams, not obese, about 40% of American adults are. And for them, the excess weight and fatty tissue puts them at risk for some dire consequences: high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, sleep apnea, certain cancers, fatty liver disease, and of course the illness GLP-1s were originally designed to treat: type 2 diabetes.

So, could GLP-1s be the answer to America’s obesity crisis?

A Gallup survey published in July says the medication is already having a measurable impact.

Even so, most insurance companies won’t cover the cost for weight loss or obesity alone. If a patient has type 2 diabetes, coverage is usually approved. Many plans also cover treatment when obesity is coupled with moderate to several obstructive sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, or to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

In July, Medicare instituted a temporary program providing those covered under Part D with certain GLP-1s solely for weight loss at a cost of $50 a month. It doesn’t sound like much, unless you’re on a fixed income. And that $50 copay does not help to satisfy Part D’s out of pocket limit.

For the estimated 10 million Americans who are uninsured and obese GLP-1s can be cost prohibitive. Ozempic, for instance, has a list price of almost $1,000 a month. Some manufacturers offer discount plans, but the cost is still a few hundred dollars a month.

Even if these drugs are available and – for some -affordable, are they safe? Common side effects like nausea and acid reflux are usually not dangerous, but rapid weight loss is bound to include losing some muscle mass along with the fat. Of course, we can’t know the long-term effects of something so new, but there are concerns about the possibility of increased risk of thyroid cancer and a rare disease that can cause acute vision loss.

Although the serious negative side effects of GLP-1 appear to be rare, the list of illnesses which GLP-1s may be found to effectively treat is growing quickly, including osteoarthritis, peripheral artery disease, atherosclerosis, endometriosis, addiction, and neuro-degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. A study published in Nature last month that even indicated GLP-1 treatment appeared to slow aging in mice.

In order to sort out the issues surrounding GLP-1 medications, University of Maryland, Baltimore President Bruce E. Jarrell, MD, FACS, spoke with three faculty experts on his program, Virtual Face to Face on October 6.

Rozalina McCoy, MD, MS, is associate professor and vice chief of clinical research in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Nutrition at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).

Kashif Munir, MD is professor of medicine also at UMSOM’s Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Nutrition. He is medical director of the University of Maryland Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology at the University of Maryland Medical Center Midtown Campus and has extensive clinical experience in treating patients with diabetes, thyroid disorders, and pituitary diseases.

The third faculty expert has a unique connection with the development of GLP-1s. Jean-Pierre Raufman, MD, the Moses Paulson, MD and Helen Golden Paulson Chair of the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology at UMSOM started his career as a researcher with the National Institutes of Health in 1980. Raufman and colleagues examined the venom of America’s only venomous lizard, the Gila Monster, and discovered a very special peptide they called Extendin-4 which acted like a natural GLP-1 receptor agonist. But unlike natural human GLP-1 which breaks down rapidly in the body, Extendin-4 was found to last for hours. This discovery led to the development of the GLP-1 medications used today.

To watch the entire discussion, use the video link at the top of this page.