Now that GLP-1 receptor agonists have seen widespread use for weight loss in recent years, the nutraceutical market adjacent to the use of this class of drugs needs to evolve and mature.

Products riding hype and making outlandish claims that promise a head-to-head competition with pharmaceutical compounds are ceding market share to products that offer more well-rounded benefits with more reasonable and realistic claims. 

At SupplySide Global, nutrition industry experts discussed how the weight management and metabolic health category can earn its place in a broader conversation.

Panelists included:

• Bret Barhoover, specialized nutrition category marketing manager at Cargill;
• Shil Kothari, president of Gateway Health Alliances;
• Mark LeDoux, CEO and chairman of the board at Natural Alternatives International (NAI);
• Ankit Rathi, director at Specialty Enzymes and Probiotics; and
• Serena Tongiani, PhD, chief portfolio officer at Indena.

Evolving Consumer Landscape 

As the real-world consumer experience using these GLP-1 drugs for weight loss only spans a few years, it’s important to get consistent updates on how their needs are evolving.

While it’s no surprise, using GLP-1 receptor agonists for weight loss has fully eclipsed usage for type 2 diabetes, according to Cargill’s consumer research, noted Barhoover. “Users are primarily made up of Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X, and they tend to be more affluent. Most users come from wealthier households, and mostly households with children. They’re often aware of health trends, and tend to eat healthier as a whole; GLP-1 drugs are one of many ways that they tend to want to manage their health,” he said.

Based on more qualitative consumer interviews Cargill conducted, people typically start their GLP-1 journey with the intent to use medications for a span of roughly six months, before making a decision whether or not to continue.

“It’s really about hitting a goal of losing 25 to 30 pounds on average; and then they stop,” said Barhoover. “They’re trying to figure out how to eat healthy and hope to maintain those habits when they come out of treatment.”

While GLP-1 receptor agonists are all indicated for lifelong use, many patients discontinue treatment, either due to lack of access, cost, side effects, or a lack of interest in continuing after reaching a goal weight. Cargill found that only 26% of GLP-1 RA users intend to never stop using these drugs, noted Barhoover.

For that reason, brands need to lean into quality science on target populations and create products with clear use occasions, including for standalone weight management/metabolic support, to help meet nutrition gaps and mitigate side effects during GLP-1 drug use, and to support the sizeable portion of GLP-1 RA users who discontinue treatment due to a variety of factors, Barhoover noted.

Side Effects

Side effects are a leading reason why many discontinue GLP-1 therapy, and an area where nutraceuticals can shine.

“Many people are still just taking a shot and moving on with their lives. They’re not doing blood analysis to see what is happening to their body on a deeper level, or understanding the full range of side effects,” said Tongiani.

By far, the most prevalent side effect is digestive discomfort, including nausea, constipation, and diarrhea, Barhoover noted. Under-consumption of food, and even water, is a major concern, and GLP-1 RA users often experience substantial loss of lean body mass, sagging skin due to rapid weight loss, nutrient deficiencies, and chronic dehydration.

Many ingredients that have been on the market for years to address sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle in older adults, are now being repositioned for the audience of GLP-1 medication users, noted LeDoux.

“Muscle loss is part of the process, and you’ll always lose some while losing weight,” he said. The company’s Tribsyn, under NAI’s CarnoSyn brand, is a micro-encapsulated beta-alanine ingredient that can increase carnosine concentrations in muscle cells, preserving muscle mass. “This encapsulation technology helps the amino acid survive digestion and bypass highly restrictive absorption pathways within the intestinal wall, preventing oxidation and excretion in the blood.”

Probiotic-enzyme blends that enhance the breakdown of food and improve digestive side effects can address both facets of this issue, noted Rathi. “The DigeSEB line of enzyme blends provides optimal digestive comfort, easing common gastrointestinal discomfort while aiding in macro- and micronutrient digestion.”

Probiotics are stalwarts for digestive health and comfort, and certain ingredients are validated for additional health benefits highly relevant to certain GLP-1 medication users. “The switch among GLP-1 users to more calorically dense foods can cause cholesterol issues,” Rathi noted, and “ProbioSEB CSC3, a blend of three spore-forming probiotics, consumed along with GLP-1s or otherwise, has been shown to reduce cholesterol as well.”

While it’s mostly still based on anecdotal reports, GLP-1 RA users often complain about struggling with focus and cognitive tasks, as well as low mood.

“The evidence is still preliminary but there appears to be effects on mood and behavior, including a lack of focus, bad mood and depression symptoms, and sleep disturbances,” said Tongiani. “Blood sugar impacts mental function.”

TribSyn is easily absorbed throughout the body, and clinical studies note that it can significantly increase carnosine concentrations in brain tissue. “Users of these weight loss drugs experience memory issues related to basic things, and get weird fatigue symptoms,” LeDoux said. Higher concentrations of carnosine in the brain, however, can help to regulate oxidative stress and inflammation in the brain, and have a direct effect on neuronal activity.

Supporting Former Users, and Providing Holistic Alternatives

GLP-1 users aren’t necessarily receiving any nutritional education, and rather than eating high-quality foods, many are simply eating less.

While calorie-dense foods are necessary during treatment to ensure that those taking weight loss medications get enough energy throughout the day, these foods could contribute to rapid rebound weight gain post-treatment, among a population with diminished lean body mass, noted Tongiani. Further, there are no standards for “GLP-1 friendly” labels on foods. “Being the right weight is an important target, but this industry should get back to focusing on the old ways of thinking about holistic health, and not just appearance,” she continued.

“We don’t yet know the full ramifications of discontinuing these drugs,” concurred Kothari.

It’s important for the nutrition industry to move past products trying to compete one-on-one with GLP-1 receptor agonists; no product can curb appetites as well as a pharmaceutical product that bombards the body with high levels of hormones, observers noted.

“The weight loss on these drugs is almost effortless,” said Tongiani, “which is why we’re focusing mostly on companion products.”

Natural products — rather than targeting a specific molecule or two as many pharmaceuticals do — rely on wide-ranging, systemic effects, and the weight management category of nutraceuticals is no exception.

“Natural products should look at multiple pathways, one of which is GLP-1. Other modulations like leptin, adiponectin, and insulin can all regulate metabolism and blood sugar,” Kothari noted.

The company conducted a study in late 2024 that found a combination of CQR-300 (Cissus quadrangularis) and Dyglomera (Dichrostachys glomerata) effected several pathways related to weight management in a population of overweight and obese patients. In addition to modest inhibitory effects on DPP-4, the enzyme which eliminates GLP-1 from the body, the botanical formula improved measures of leptin resistance, promoted antioxidant activity, and attenuated mechanisms related to fat formation.

Participants taking the supplement saw a 50% increase in post-meal GLP-1 concentrations, which is not comparable to a pharmaceutical treatment, but also saw significant reductions in caloric intake, of roughly 20-25%. After 12 weeks, the participants saw an average reduction of body weight by 9%, and a reduction of body fat of approximately 14-16%. “These ingredients have been on the market for 20 years, and this wasn’t the first weight management study conducted on them, but was the first to measure GLP-1,” Kothari said.

Rathi noted that Specialty Enzymes and Probiotics recently launched SlimSEB, a metabolic formula that includes enzymes that can convert sugar into fiber within the body, probiotics for overall digestive support, and a multi-herb extract formulated for satiety and the regulation of lipid metabolism.

The complex was shown in a clinical study to support a 1.29-point reduction in HbA1C, an eight-pound average decrease in body weight, a reduction in total cholesterol levels by 32 mg/dL, and a six-centimeter average reduction in waist circumference.

“Enzymes and probiotics have an entirely different mechanism. They don’t block receptors in the body, they create fiber during digestion and provide a sense of satiety. They can be an alternative for people not interested in these drugs, or can be combined with therapy to address side effects, improve adherence, and create a better overall quality of life,” Rathi said.