GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic and Zepbound have changed treatment for obesity and type 2 diabetes by acting on receptors that help regulate blood sugar and appetite—and have become household names in the process. 

But for some patients, the benefits are accompanied with intense nausea and loss of muscle and bone mass. These side effects result in many patients stopping treatment or never reaching the prescribed recommended dose.

Krishna Kumar, Robinson Professor of Chemistry and a professor of biomedical engineering, notes, wryly, that for some patients, the benefits can come with “a digestive system making its objections abundantly clear.”