Semaglutide references
The body scan, the appetite experiments, the large clinical trials and the safety accounts.
Tissue scans and peptide structure
The STEP body-composition substudy is the starting point for Semaglutide Chemical: fat and lean mass both contributed to the weight lost. The drug monograph describes the molecule and its persistence, while the SNAC review takes up the oral formulation.
The body scan interrupts my enthusiasm whenever a weight total begins carrying too much meaning. The source is a substudy, and it leaves strength as a separate question.
Clinical trials and safety
STEP 1 and STEP 5 cover weight reduction during treatment; STEP 4 and the STEP 1 extension follow withdrawal. SUSTAIN-6, SELECT and FLOW examine cardiovascular and kidney outcomes in their respective populations. SURMOUNT-5 supplies the direct weight comparison with tirzepatide.
The safety papers include gastrointestinal tolerability, thyroid-risk assessment and post-marketing reports. The hair-loss analysis and the retrospective study of shedding after weight loss address different questions, so I read them together without treating either as a count of confirmed drug injury. The full reading list follows.
- Wilding JPH, et al. (STEP 1 Study Group). Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2021. ↗
- Marso SP, et al. (SUSTAIN-6 Investigators). Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2016. ↗
- Lincoff AM, et al. (SELECT Trial Investigators). Semaglutide and Cardiovascular Outcomes in Obesity without Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2023. ↗
- Gabery S, et al. Semaglutide lowers body weight in rodents via distributed neural pathways. JCI Insight. 2020. ↗
- Smits MM, Van Raalte DH. Safety of Semaglutide. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2021. ↗
- Perkovic V, et al. (FLOW Trial Committees and Investigators). Effects of Semaglutide on Chronic Kidney Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2024. ↗
- Aronne LJ, et al. (SURMOUNT-5 Investigators). Tirzepatide as Compared with Semaglutide for the Treatment of Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2025. ↗
- Garvey WT, et al. Two-year effects of semaglutide in adults with overweight or obesity: the STEP 5 trial. Nat Med. 2022. ↗
- Rubino D, et al. Effect of Continued Weekly Subcutaneous Semaglutide vs Placebo on Weight Loss Maintenance in Adults With Overweight or Obesity (STEP 4). JAMA. 2021. ↗
- Weghuber D, et al. (STEP TEENS Investigators). Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adolescents with Obesity. N Engl J Med. 2022. ↗
- Davies M, et al. (STEP 2 Study Group). Semaglutide 2.4 mg once a week in adults with overweight or obesity, and type 2 diabetes (STEP 2). Lancet. 2021. ↗
- Secher A, et al. The arcuate nucleus mediates GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide-dependent weight loss. J Clin Invest. 2014. ↗
- Wharton S, et al. Gastrointestinal tolerability of once-weekly semaglutide 2.4 mg in adults with overweight or obesity, and the relationship between gastrointestinal adverse events and weight loss. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022. ↗
- Assessment of Thyroid Carcinogenic Risk and Safety Profile of GLP1-RA: A Review. Int J Mol Sci. 2024. ↗
- A real-world disproportionality analysis of semaglutide: Post-marketing pharmacovigilance data. J Diabetes Investig. 2024. ↗
- McCrimmon RJ, et al. Impact of Semaglutide on Body Composition in Adults With Overweight or Obesity. J Endocr Soc. 2021. ↗
- Wilding JPH, et al. Weight regain and cardiometabolic effects after withdrawal of semaglutide: The STEP 1 trial extension. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2022. ↗
- Alopecia associated with the use of semaglutide and tirzepatide: A disproportionality analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2025. ↗
- Telogen Effluvium Associated With Weight Loss: A Single Center Retrospective Study. Ann Dermatol. 2024. ↗
- Mahapatra MK, Karuppasamy M, Sahoo BM. Semaglutide (StatPearls). StatPearls [Internet]. 2024. ↗
- Aroda VR, et al. Current Understanding of Sodium N-(8-[2-Hydroxylbenzoyl] Amino) Caprylate (SNAC) as an Absorption Enhancer: The Oral Semaglutide Experience. Clin Diabetes. 2023. ↗
- Au Yeung SL, et al. Drug-Drug Interactions Between Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonists and Oral Medications: A Systematic Review. Drug Saf. 2024. ↗