Digestive Support for Clients Taking a GLP-1^

This article and the products mentioned are intended to support general digestive wellness and are not a substitute for prescribed GLP-1 medications.^

Are more of your clients taking a GLP-1 agonist medication and asking you for support with their journey? These meds help support healthy blood sugar levels and weight loss by slowing down digestion and lengthening the amount of time a person feels full and satisfied after eating. Because of this, some of your clients might experience occasional digestive discomforts – especially when they are getting started with the medications.

In this article, we’ll share tips on offering support to clients. First, we’ll discuss formulas that can offer support for common complaints related to digestion, then we’ll review how appetite is influenced. 

Common Digestive Complaints 

It’s all about perspective: Promoting satiety and fullness is helpful for those working to maintain or lose weight and better their health. However, slowed gastric emptying means that the digestive system is running more slowly. This can lead to occasional digestive discomforts, especially as a person gets started on their journey. 

The most common digestive complaints include occasional: 

• Abdominal discomfort
• Constipation
• Diarrhea
• Heartburn 
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Burping and belching

Remind your clients to stay on top of these aspects of your digestion for optimal health. 

Digestive enzymes to help break down food.^ Digestive enzymes, like Enzymedica Digest Gold, can be taken with a GLP-1 medication (if approved by you as a health care provider). Since those taking these medications consume less food (and consume fewer calories/have less energy available), digestive enzymes offer support by efficiently breaking down food.^ Because food is moving through the digestive system more slowly, they may benefit some extra help with the breakdown!^ 

Deal with burping. Slower digestion means food has time to ferment in the GI system, and the bacteria in the digestive tract produce gas when they break down food. In the gut, that gas leads to occasional flatulence; in the stomach, it leads to occasional belching. Digest Gold can lend a hand here, too, by reducing occasional gas and bloating.^ Additionally, clients can turn to traditional carminative herbs, such peppermint or chamomile, both of which are easily accessible in tea form. 

Probiotics to promote a healthy gut.^ Probiotics help support regularity and immune function while promoting healthy gut balance.^ SubCulture for Bloat delivers a blend of clinically studied probiotics to help reduce occasional gas and bloating, with foundational strains to promote digestion, regularity and immune health – and deal with bloat.^

Occasional heartburn can happen when gastric emptying slows, allowing gastric acid to reflux. Acid Calm™ provides relief for occasional heartburn and indigestion, while also providing long-term support for GI system function.^ PepZinGI® zinc carnosine helps protect the mucosal lining, acting as a barrier for stomach acid.^ This protease-free formula includes vegetarian Thera-blend® enzymes to optimize digestion and soothing botanicals (marshmallow root, papaya leaf and gotu kola).^

Occasional constipation and irregularity happen when digestion slows down, leading to uncomfortable gas and bloating. Kiwi Regularity Chews for daily bowel movements help reduce occasional constipation, and they also offer prebiotics to help give the gut microbiome a boost.^ GI Motility Complex can also help out here, as it provides support for slowed gastric emptying and associated discomforts, like occasional constipation & bloating.^

Aim to meet fiber goals. When we eat fewer calories, we may not consume enough fiber to reach your daily goals. Fiber helps with regularity, while also promoting satiety!^ Fiber+ Gummies also includes prebiotics and probiotics to help ease bloat, and the tasty gummy format may appeal to clients dealing with a queasy stomach.^

Occasional nausea can happen as the stomach slows down, but ginger is a time-trusted herb to ease it.^ Ginger & Vitamin B6 Gummies combine the stomach-quieting support of ginger with vitamin B6.^

Focus on hydration and maintaining muscle health.^ Even when those natural hunger cues are not happening, your client needs to stay hydrated and maintain muscle health. Fasting Today was developed for those following the intermittent fasting lifestyle, but it may also offer support to those on a GLP-1 agonist journey.^ This drink mix includes electrolytes for hydration support, plus all nine essential amino acids to support muscle health – especially important if you are maintaining a caloric deficit for weight loss.^ It also includes fiber from baobab.^ EAA requirements increase when a person is maintaining a caloric deficit, so meeting those amino acid needs is crucial to preserve anabolic sensitivity in skeletal muscle.

GLP-1 and Appetite: The Science of How It Works 

GLP-1 is a hormone made in the gut that plays a key role in regulating blood sugar, appetite and digestion Research has shown that the hormone GLP-1 leads to reduced food intake, appetite and hunger, while promoting fullness and satiety. GLP-1 medications mimic the effects of your body’s own GLP-1, promoting glycemic control and weight loss. But while the digestive system quickly breaks down the naturally occurring GLP-1 in the body, the medication versions are formulated to last longer. 

After we eat, GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor) gets released and stimulates insulin release, while inhibiting release of another hormone (glucagon) to help lower blood sugar. 

GLP-1 also keeps food in the stomach for more time, so we feel fuller for longer and have less of an appetite. GLP-1 reduces appetite by sending a signal to the part of the brain that regulates hunger. 

Those taking GLP-1 medications have described them as quieting or eliminating the “food noise,” allowing them to stop thinking about food when they are not hungry and feel contentedly full. This helps individuals identify true physical hunger. 

This article and the products mentioned are intended to support general digestive wellness and are not a substitute for prescribed GLP-1 medications.^