EFL 071
For our 71st episode, we review a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial that explores how semaglutide may influence taste perception in women with obesity and polycystic ovary syndrome. While GLP‑1 receptor agonists are widely used for weight loss, the mechanisms underlying changes in food preference remain less well understood. This study takes a multimodal approach to examine whether semaglutide alters taste recognition, tongue gene expression, and brain responses to food-related cues.
Na Shen, MD, UCLA
Na Shen, MD, is an associate clinical professor at UCLA and is board-certified in internal medicine, endocrinology, and obesity medicine. She founded a medically supervised weight management program, the Program for Reducing Obesity (PRO), in 2019 at the UCLA Thousand Oaks office. Under her leadership, PRO has expanded to include twelve American Board of Obesity Medicine-certified physicians across seven regional sites within the UCLA Health system. Dr. Shen's research interests include quality improvement in expanding access to obesity care.
Kalpana Muthusamy, MBBS, MD, Mayo Clinic
Kalpana Muthusamy, M.B.B.S., M.D., is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Her focus is on weight management and diabetes. Her clinical areas of interest include genetic and syndromic obesity, including Bardet-Biedl Syndrome and Prader-Willi Syndrome; weight-loss medications and surgery; diabetes technology; endocrine care in the transplant population; weight bias; and health inequity.
Chase Hendrickson, MD, MPH, MMHC, practices general endocrinology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he is an associate program director for the endocrinology fellowship program. His interests include endocrine education, teaching inferential methods, and quality improvement.
