For more than a century, physicians have searched for ways to pharmacologically reduce excess body fat. The tide has finally turned with recent advances in biochemically engineered agonists for the receptor of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and their use in GLP-1-based polyagonists. These polyagonists reduce body weight through complementary pharmacology by incorporating the receptors for glucagon and/or the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP). In their most advanced forms, gut-hormone polyagonists achieve an unprecedented weight reduction of up to ∼20%–30%, offering a pharmacological alternative to bariatric surgery. Along with favorable effects on glycemia, fatty liver, and kidney disease, they also offer beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and adipose tissue. These new interventions, therefore, hold great promise for the future of anti-obesity medications.

一个多世纪以来，医生们一直在寻找通过药物减少体内多余脂肪的方法。随着胰高血糖素样肽-1 (GLP-1) 受体的生化工程激动剂的最新进展及其在基于 GLP-1 的多激动剂中的应用，潮流终于扭转了。这些多激动剂通过掺入胰高血糖素和/或葡萄糖依赖性促胰岛素多肽（GIP）的受体，通过补充药理学来减轻体重。在其最先进的形式中，肠激素多激动剂实现了前所未有的体重减轻高达 ∼20%–30%，为减肥手术提供了一种药物替代方案。除了对血糖、脂肪肝和肾脏疾病有良好作用外，它们还对心血管系统和脂肪组织产生有益作用。因此，这些新的干预措施为抗肥胖药物的未来带来了巨大的希望。