GI Health Centre

04/22/2026

04/15/2026

🔬 Big news for anyone managing fatty liver disease — this one’s worth knowing about!

A study just published this week in one of the world’s top medical journals asked a question my patients ask me all the time:

“Is my medication actually helping my liver — or is it just because I’m losing weight?”
The answer? BOTH. And the direct liver benefits are real. 🙌

Here’s what scientists discovered 👇
🫀 These medications work directly on the liver
Semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy) has special “docking stations” called receptors on the cells lining your liver’s blood vessels. Even when weight loss was completely removed from the equation, the medication still reduced liver fat, liver scarring, and liver inflammation.
🧬 How do we know it’s direct?
When researchers removed those liver receptors in animal models, the liver benefits disappeared — even with the medication still present. That’s scientific proof the liver is being targeted directly, not just through weight loss.
💡 What this means for YOU:
✅ If you have fatty liver (MASLD/MASH) and are on a GLP-1 medication — your liver may be benefiting even if the scale isn’t moving much
✅ Weight loss and direct liver protection are working together — it’s not one or the other
✅ This opens the door to even more targeted liver treatments in the future
The takeaway: Progress on your fatty liver isn’t only measured by the number on the scale. Your liver may be healing in ways you can’t feel yet. 💪
Questions about fatty liver or GLP-1 medications? Drop them below 👇 or book a consultation through the link in bio.
📖 Cell Metabolism, April 2026
Ozempic Wegovy Semaglutide ObesityMedicine WeightLoss MetabolicHealth

04/10/2026

🫀 New research in JAMA is confirming what many of us have long suspected — South Asian patients are developing cardiovascular risk factors significantly earlier than other groups, and we need to start the conversation sooner.
The MASALA study (the first long-term prospective cohort of South Asians in the US) combined data from 500+ South Asian adults and compared them to Black, White, Hispanic, and Chinese adults. Here’s what they found by age 45:
🔴 Prediabetes — 31% of South Asian men vs. 4% of White men
🔴 Hypertension — among the highest of any group, despite lower rates of smoking and alcohol use
🔴 Dyslipidemia — 78% of South Asian men had abnormal lipid levels
✅ Diet & exercise were actually better than most other groups
The mismatch is striking — and important. It points toward factors we aren’t fully measuring yet: visceral adiposity, lean muscle mass, Lp(a) levels, early life exposures, and body composition differences that don’t show up on a standard BMI.
The takeaway for my patients: Don’t wait until middle age. Cardiovascular risk screening for South Asians should start well before 40 — regardless of BMI or weight.
If you’re South Asian, ask your doctor about:
📌 Fasting glucose / HbA1c
📌 Full lipid panel including Lp(a)
📌 Blood pressure trends over time
We can’t afford to start these conversations too late. 💛
📖 Source: Abbasi J. JAMA, March 2026.
DiabetesPrevention SouthAsian ObesityMedicine

04/09/2026

🧬 Your DNA might predict how well GLP-1s work for you — and whether you’ll feel sick on them.
A massive new Nature study of 27,885 people on semaglutide or tirzepatide just dropped some fascinating findings:
On efficacy:
✅ A variant in the GLP1R gene (rs10305420) is linked to ~0.76 kg extra weight loss per copy of the effect allele
✅ Tirzepatide users with this variant showed even stronger effects than semaglutide users
✅ Women, Europeans, and people without T2D tended to lose more weight overall
On side effects:
🤢 Variants in GLP1R are linked to higher nausea + vomiting on both drugs
🤮 A GIPR variant (rs1800437) predicts vomiting risk — but only on tirzepatide, not semaglutide
💡 This may explain why the GIP component in tirzepatide normally buffers nausea — if your GIPR is less functional, that protection is reduced
The takeaway for obesity medicine?
Pharmacogenomics is coming for GLP-1 prescribing. One day, a cheek swab might help us choose which medication, which dose, and how fast to titrate. That’s precision medicine. 🎯
The era of one-size-fits-all obesity treatment is ending. 📖

Su QJ et al. Nature 2026. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10330-z

03/17/2026

Happy St Patrick's Day!

03/11/2026

Happy Female Doctors Day

03/11/2026

Today we celebrate the remarkable women who combine strength, compassion, and brilliance to heal and inspire. Your dedication to caring for others, advocating for patients, and advancing medicine makes a profound difference in countless lives every day.
Thank you for your resilience, your empathy, and the countless hours you devote to making the world healthier and kinder. You are not only exceptional physicians but also powerful role models for future generations.
Your knowledge heals, your compassion comforts, and your leadership inspires.

03/09/2026

Our amazing team at the GI Health Centre raised $15,012.00 for Colorectal Cancer Awareness on March 7th! Thank you for all your support!