References & Figures - The GLP-1 Advantage

The premise

GLP-1 receptor agonists are the most important new class of metabolic drugs in a generation.

Used well, they are genuinely transformative — for visceral fat, for type 2 diabetes, for cardiovascular risk, for the inflammatory burden that drives chronic disease. The published evidence is now overwhelming. Public perception has shifted too, helped by celebrity disclosure from Jeremy Clarkson onwards, which has done more to destigmatise these drugs in two years than medical communication achieved in five.

Used carelessly, they strip muscle alongside fat, dehydrate patients, mask underlying nutritional problems, and leave people weaker and more vulnerable than they started — especially when treatment stops.

Book 4 is the balanced guide. Written for the patient already using or considering these drugs, and for the clinician prescribing them.

What the book covers

The drugs themselves

Semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic, Rybelsus)
Tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound)
Newer entrants and what they change
Mechanism, evidence base, side effects, contraindications

Standard dosing versus micro-dosing

Why most patients do not need the licensed full dose
How to start low, titrate slowly, and minimise side effects
The micro-dose approach Dr Leatham used on himself and now uses with patients
When to escalate, when to hold, when to pause

Protecting muscle while losing fat

The sarcopenia risk that few prescribers discuss
Protein intake during GLP-1 treatment (higher than baseline)
Resistance training as non-negotiable
Tracking muscle on bioimpedance scales while on treatment

The taper and the after

Why stopping abruptly often undoes the gains
Planned tapers and bridging strategies
How to maintain the new metabolic baseline without indefinite medication
Long-term outlook: a year on, five years on

Cost, access, and sustainability

UK private and NHS access — the current picture
International perspective
What to ask your prescriber
Red flags in unregulated supply chains

Who this book is for

✓ Patients already prescribed a GLP-1 who want to understand what they're taking ✓ Patients considering one and weighing the decision ✓ Patients who have stopped and want to keep the results ✓ Clinicians prescribing these drugs who want a practical, evidence-led framework ✓ Anyone who has read sensationalised media coverage and wants the clinical picture

The central message

GLP-1 opens the door. It does not build the house.

Used as a tool inside the framework of Books 1, 2, and 3 — diagnosis, measurement, lifestyle restoration — these drugs are remarkable. Used as a substitute for that framework, they buy you twelve months and leave you back where you started, with less muscle.

The book is written by a cardiologist who took a micro-dose himself, documented the result on paired VAT-CT scans, and continues to use this class of drug with hundreds of patients.

What this book is not

Not anti-GLP-1
Not pro-GLP-1 at any cost
Not funded by, sponsored by, or affiliated with any pharmaceutical manufacturer (see [Disclosures])
Not a long book — designed to be read in a single sitting before or during your first prescription