Let Your Body Do the Work is a wonderful contribution by pharmaceutical researcher Dr. Anette Sams to the field of awareness relating to the human body’s naturally occurring weight-loss hormones. Dr. Sams is adequately equipped to hold forth on the subject, being a specialist in the fields of blood sugar, diabetes, and inflammation research, half a decade of which was at the pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, the entity behind the introduction of two blockbuster weight reduction drugs, Wegovy, and Ozempic.
The beauty of Dr. Sams book lies in its startling simplicity. Abhorring jargon and avoiding fluff, she takes her reader on a wonderfully curious journey to comprehending the astonishing working of one hormone Glucagon Like Peptide -1 (“GLP-1”) that seems to be holding the medical world in absolute thrall. The final destination of this journey is an identification of methods by which the readers can successfully activate their naturally occurring GLP-1 (of course in consultation with their doctors).
So, what exactly is GLP-1 and why does it make for such a compelling contemporaneous conversation? A naturally occurring gut hormone, GLP-1 is formed in the gut cells of the digestive system. GLP-1 spurs the pancreas to produce insulin, suppresses appetite, and also works to slows digestion. GLP-1 also activates receptors in the hypothalamus to produce a feeling of fullness called satiation, a sure-fire indicator that informs a person to stop eating. The discovery of this attribute of GLP-1 has sent pharmaceutical giants into a frenzy in producing semaglutide, a medicine that phenomenally mimics the effect of GLP-1 and aids in combating obesity.
Dr. Sams, after providing a riveting primer on the nature and functions of GLP-1, proceeds to enlighten her readers about the various means by which one can enhance and embellish the natural formation of GLP-1. Some of her fundamental and practical solutions include consumption of unprocessed foods, including loads of vegetables in one’s diet, and aiming for a combination of cooked and raw produce.
The chapters in the book are complemented by alluring, pleasing on the eye illustrations that explain the role played by the digestive system, and various hormones produced therein. Dr. Sams also breaks down each topic into easily digestible (no pun intended) compartments that makes comprehension not just easier, but also eminently enjoyable! Her passion naturally bursts forth in many places. ‘Since the start of the millennium, I have been infatuated with CGRP. CGRP is a peptide – an organic compound made up of thirty-seven amino acids….’! There is a healthy blend of studied wit as well to go with the dollops of wisdom. For example, in describing the constitution of a human, she says: “you are a ghost driving a meat-coated skeleton made from stardust, riding a rock, hurtling through space, along with millions of microorganisms.”
Ultra-processed foods come in for some special investigation and chastisement (deservingly so), while cruciferous vegetables, berries, fruits, nuts, and seeds are treated with extreme benevolence and care.
Dr. Sam’s book, published in a pivotal age where the concept of weight loss has transcended educated conversations to move into realms that are equally encouraging, and fantastical, optimistic, and delusional, provides a beacon of clarity. Exhorting readers to heed the signal and not the noise, it eggs them on to concentrate on one uncompromising and naturally unparalleled phenomenon – the human body’s magisterial capability to heal itself, when bereft of unwarranted interventions.
Let Your Body Do the Work: Activate Your Naturally Occurring Weight Loss Hormones for Long-Term Health by Dr. Anette Sams is published by Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press and will be available on sale beginning 23rd of June 2026.
Thank You Net Galley for the Advance Reviewer Copy!