The GLP-1 Supplement Boom

Earlier this month, Kourtney Kardashian’s supplement brand, Lemme, joined the growing market for Ozempic dupes with the release GLP-1 Daily, a capsule of plant extracts that supposedly supports “fat reduction,” reduces hunger, and promotes the body’s production of the appetite-regulating hormone GLP-1. This hormone is also what powerful new drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro mimic, stimulating weight loss. Lemme’s website notes that the capsules don’t actually contain synthetic GLP-1 and aren’t GLP-1 receptor agonists, although those disclaimers haven’t put a damper on the product’s social-media buzz. “Give me 14 of them … spectacular,” one Instagram user commented on an advertisement for the capsule. “I am pre-diabetic and can really use these,” said another. Several asked the brand if the capsules were safe to take alongside actual GLP-1s; others wanted to know if they could replace injectables altogether. “I’ve taken Mounjaro for 2 years and it’s just so damn expensive,” said one. “I would like another alternative as a perimenopausal woman with severe insulin resistance.”

As the popularity of these weight-loss drugs continues to skyrocket, wellness brands are slapping GLP-1 language on supplements they claim naturally increase the hunger-regulating hormone. These companies market dupes and supplements toward those who can’t afford injectables, which can cost upward of $1,000 a month; those who want to get off of them; and those who want to avoid needles and side effects like nausea and indigestion. The company Supergut launched its prebiotic blend the Gut Healthy GLP+1 Booster in 2021, which it says can “turn any food into a gut-healthy, hunger-quieting superfood.” Codeage’s GLP-1 Probiotic is fourth on the vitamin company’s best-seller list. And Kardashian isn’t the only celebrity getting into the supplement craze: Last year, Halle Berry joined Pendulum Therapeutics, which sells a GLP-1 boosting probiotic, as an investor and chief communications officer.

But does any of it actually work? While experts say it’s possible to boost your body’s natural GLP-1 with supplements (or just by eating food) the effects are short-lived and nowhere near as effective as prescription GLP-1 medication. And because supplements are basically unregulated in the US, it’s hard to know what exactly is in Lemme’s $72-a-month product. “People are desperate to get their hands on some sort of GLP-1, and products promising the same effects are taking advantage of that desperation,” Dr. Rocio Salas-Whalen of New York Endocrinology told me. “With all these supplements, we’ll never see the same weight loss we see with GLP-1.”

First, what does it mean to “boost” your GLP-1?

Everyone naturally produces the GLP-1 hormone, but our body releases more whenever we consume food, especially when it’s high in protein, fiber or fat, according to Dr. Rekha Kumar, an endocrinologist and obesity specialist at Weill Cornell Medicine and New York Presbyterian. The hormone is the reason we eventually stop eating — in addition to regulating our insulin levels, it increases feelings of fullness and makes the stomach empty more slowly. But any food or supplement that passes through the small gut “will release GLP-1s,” says Dr. Salas-Whalen. She says the issue isn’t what releases or stimulates the hormone, but rather the fact that those increases don’t last long enough to do much. The body’s natural GLP-1 gets broken down in as little as two to four minutes, so any “boosting” effects are short-lived at best. Meanwhile, synthetic forms of GLP-1, like semaglutide and tirzepatide, are long acting — it takes about seven days to break them down, hence the reason people take weekly injections — and lead to significant weight loss.

That weight loss results from being able to tolerate a caloric deficit for long stretches of time without hunger, and “that’s what actual GLP-1 agonists do,” says Dr. Holly Lofton, director of NYU Langone’s medical weight-management program. Long-term weight management, she says, means losing at least 5 percent of your bodyweight for at least six months to a year or longer. Supplements “don’t do that effectively,” Dr. Lofton says.

How effective is Lemme’s GLP-1 Daily product?

In lieu of actual synthetic GLP-1, Lemme’s GLP-1 Daily capsules use three plant extracts — Supresa, from saffron; Eriomin, from lemons; and Morosil, from blood oranges — that the company says reduced hunger, increased GLP-1 levels, and promoted “healthy fat loss” in respective clinical studies. When I asked Lemme what research they had done into the capsule’s efficacy, they pointed me to three studies. When I had experts review them, they pointed out that the studies only feature small sample sizes and focus on the individual ingredients, not the capsule as a whole. They also noted flaws in the literature: the Morosil and Eriomin studies did not show significant weight loss in the active groups, and the study for Supresa also showed only minimal weight loss. Dr. Salas-Whalen also told me that the research for the latter was funded by the supplier of the Supresa extract. “Fiber gummies will have the same effect,” she says.

What about GLP-1 prebiotics and probiotics?

Supergut sells a Gut Healthy GLP-1 Booster that it refers to as “Nature’s Ozempic,” but which is made out of resistant starch — in other words, it’s just fiber. And while it’s true that consuming fiber keeps you fuller for longer, any potential GLP-1 boost with these products won’t translate to the kind of weight loss you’d see on a semaglutide. “It’s just going to bulk you up when you drink it with a big glass of water,” says Dr. Salas-Whalen. “It’s just occupying space in your stomach, right?”

Pendulum and Codeage, meanwhile, sell probiotic blends, which contain live microorganisms that promote good gut bacteria. Though these products might be helpful for people with digestion issues, again, don’t expect Ozempic-like effects. “If someone has an intestinal milieu with a lot of “bad bacteria,” that can decrease the absorption of nutrients that make them more prone to weight gain,” says Dr. Lofton. “But there’s no evidence that this causes substantial weight loss.”

Are these supplements safe?

The gastrointestinal side effects of GLP-1 agonists are well documented, and GLP-1 “boosting” supplements draw consumers in by bragging about their lack of side effects. But because supplements are so unregulated, you can never really be completely sure what’s in them. It’s important to talk to your doctor before starting one, no matter how legit the studies companies cite might seem.