The emergence of GLP-1 receptor agonists is so exciting - it's not just a blood sugar or weight loss shot, but humanity has finally found a "systemic weapon" that can simultaneously combat obesity and its systemic complications. Understanding the dangers of obesity is not about creating anxiety, but about making changes before it's too late.
Respiratory system: suffocation injury
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA): Fat accumulation in the neck and throat compresses the airway, causing repeated suffocation during sleep. The prevalence of OSA in obese individuals is as high as 40% -90% (depending on BMI). The consequences include daytime sleepiness, decreased attention, and increased risk of sudden death at night.
Obesity hypopnea syndrome: Diaphragmatic compression, decreased ventilation function, leading to chronic hypercapnia and hypoxemia.
Asthma: Obesity increases the risk of asthma by 1.5-2 times and has poor response to conventional treatment.
COPD overlay effect: The combination of obesity and smoking leads to an exponential increase in disability and mortality rates of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Skeletal muscle system: a collapsed scaffold
Osteoarthritis: For every 1 kg increase in weight, the knee joint load increases by 3-5 times. Obese individuals have a 4-5 times higher risk of knee arthritis and a 4.6-fold increased risk of hip joint disease compared to individuals of normal weight.
Low back pain: the lumbar vertebrae bear excessive load for a long time, and the incidence rate of intervertebral disc herniation and spinal stenosis is significantly increased.
Gout: Obese individuals generally have higher levels of blood uric acid, which increases the risk of gout attacks by 2-3 times.
Decreased mobility: Severe cases result in the loss of independent walking ability, forming a vicious cycle of "obesity → immobility → obesity".
Digestive System: From Fatty Liver to Gallbladder Crisis
Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD): About 70% -90% of severely obese individuals have liver fat deposition, of which 15% -25% will progress to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), further developing into liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer.
Gallbladder disease: Obesity increases the risk of gallstones by 2-3 times, and the risk of cholecystectomy surgery also increases accordingly.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Increased abdominal pressure leads to acid reflux, which can cause Barrett's esophagus in the long term and increase the risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
Wegovy @ tablets achieved a 21.6% weight loss in early responders and doubled their level of improvement in mobility
On May 13, 2026, Novo Nordisk announced the latest subgroup analysis results of Phase 3 OASIS 4 clinical trials at the 2026 European Obesity Conference (ECO2026) held in Istanbul, Turkey.
The data shows that compared to placebo, Wegovy @ tablets (25mg semaglutide tablets) exhibit good therapeutic effects in adult obese patients.
The latest research results show that nearly one-third (28.8%) take Wegov ® Adult patients who responded to the tablet in the early stages of treatment (i.e. a weight loss of 210% at week 16) had an average weight loss of 13.2% at week 16. The average weight loss of this early response population further increased to 21.6% at the end of the trial (week 64). At the same time, subjects who did not meet the criteria for "early response" still achieved a weight loss of 11.5% at the end of the trial.
This indicates that by the end of the trial, both groups had achieved clinically significant weight loss. In addition to significant weight loss, another analysis of the OASIS 4 trial published in ECO2026 showed that nearly 80% of subjects with poor baseline physical function among those taking Wegovy @ tablets achieved clinically significant improvements in functional scores (77.3%, compared to 42.9% in the placebo group).
These functional scores are used to assess multiple aspects of physical activity ability, including range of motion and endurance. At the same time, the weight loss achieved by this population is comparable to the overall Weqovy ® The population of tablet users is quite similar.
New evidence of long-term weight maintenance brought by Eli Lilly orforglipron and low-dose tepaglutide
On May 13, 2026, Eli Lilly announced the detailed results of two late stage clinical studies, SURMUNT-MAINTAIN and ATTAIN-MAINTAIN.
Research has shown that obese participants can achieve long-term weight loss maintenance after receiving high-dose titrated injection of enteropancreatin therapy, whether switching to orforglipron or downregulating the dose of tilboptin. The research results of SURMUNT-MAINTAIN and ATTAIN-MAINTAIN have been presented at the 33rd European Conference on Obesity (ECO) and published in The Lancet and Nature Medicine, respectively.
In the SURMOUNT-MAINTAIN study, both the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) and 5mg dose of tiltrotide reached the primary endpoint and all key secondary endpoints, indicating that maintaining the MTD of tiltrotide and lowering the dose to 5mg were both helpful in maintaining weight loss after 60 weeks of initial treatment with tiltrotide. The primary endpoint of the study was to evaluate that at week 112, continuing to receive tiltrotide treatment - whether lowering the dose to 5mg or maintaining the maximum tolerated dose - resulted in a better percentage change in weight compared to baseline compared to placebo.
The results showed that at week 112, subjects who continued to use Terpotide MTD were able to maintain their previous weight loss effects on average, while those who reduced the dose to 5mg only regained an average of 5.6kg. Terpotide is a weekly injection of glucose dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, belonging to the single-molecule peptide class of drugs, which can bind to and activate the human body's intestinal glucagon receptors, namely GIP receptors and GLP-1 receptors. It is worth noting that both receptors are expressed in key areas of the brain that negatively regulate appetite, and Terpotide has been shown to regulate appetite mechanisms. Reduce energy intake in the human body.
At present, research on the application of tilpotide in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its association with comorbidities and mortality (MMO) in obese patients is still ongoing.