Posting this because the summary going around does not say what the paper says, and the difference matters for how people here are using it.
Food noise is the best term this community has produced and it describes something the trials did not measure well: the constant background computation about food that most people with obesity live with and most people without it do not believe exists. GLP-1 agonism reduces the salience of food cues in the reward pathway rather than simply reducing hunger, which is why the reported experience is silence rather than willpower. It is also why its return on dose reduction is the first thing people notice, well before the weight moves.
Where I think it is weakest: the follow-up is short relative to how long people actually take these drugs, so durability is an assumption here rather than a finding.
What I actually want to know is whether the quiet is the same mechanism as the appetite suppression or a separate one, because they seem to come and go on different schedules. Happy to be told the question itself is wrong.
Figures above are from the primary publication rather than the press summary. If a number here disagrees with one you have, post yours and we will work out which of us is reading a secondary source.
jason_paloalto said:Food noise is the best term this community has produced and it describes something the trials did not measure well: the constant background…
Central vs peripheral GLP-1R signaling in food noise: elegant studies using brain-penetrant vs peripherally-restricted GLP-1 agonists show that ~80% of the weight loss effect is centrally mediated[1].
The key brain regions: arcuate nucleus (appetite), area postrema (nausea), NTS (satiety), VTA/NAc (reward). Peripheral effects (gastric emptying, insulin secretion) contribute but are secondary for weight loss.
This has implications for next-gen drugs: optimizing brain penetration and CNS receptor occupancy may be more important than systemic exposure.
[1] Secher A, et al. J Clin Invest. 2014;124(10):4473-4488.
jason_paloalto said:Food noise is the best term this community has produced and it describes something the trials did not measure well: the constant background…
Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 3-4 beers most nights. Since starting GLP-1 therapy, I have zero interest in alcohol. Haven't had a drink in 4 months.
The "food noise" reduction seems to extend to other reward-seeking behaviors, including alcohol. My liver enzymes have improved, my sleep is better, and I've saved roughly $238/month on alcohol. Triple win.
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Shop Reference StandardsTirzTom said:Alcohol relationship change with food noise: I used to drink 3-4 beers most nights.
TirzTom said:...regarding food noise mechanism of action...
To build on this — the mechanism is more complex than "it makes you less hungry." GLP-1 agonists:
- Activate hypothalamic satiety centers (appetite reduction)
- Delay gastric emptying (prolonged fullness)
- Potentiate glucose-dependent insulin secretion
- Suppress glucagon secretion
- Modulate reward pathway dopaminergic signaling
- Reduce hepatic lipogenesis
- Have direct cardiovascular protective effects
It's a multi-target drug with systemic metabolic effects. Understanding the mechanism helps us predict and manage side effects.
LibrarianMeg said:Central vs peripheral GLP-1R signaling in food noise: elegant studies using brain-penetrant vs peripherally-restricted GLP-1 agonists show that ~80%…
Second this.