Bodies By Design Weight Loss Clinic, located in Kingsport, TN, is a specialized clinic with a long history of helping clients achieve and maintain their weight loss goals. With over 30 years of experience, the clinic offers medically supervised weight loss programs, personalized care, and a range of services to support clients throughout their weight loss journey. This article provides a detailed overview of Bodies By Design Weight Loss Clinic, its services, and the science behind its approach.
Overview of Bodies By Design Weight Loss Clinic
Bodies By Design Weight Loss Clinic is a full-service, medically supervised weight loss clinic located at 1901 Brookside Dr Ste A, Kingsport, TN 37660. The clinic is committed to providing clients with the knowledge and support they need to achieve long-term success. Their team of knowledgeable counselors offers continuous training in nutrition and diet, ensuring clients receive the most up-to-date information and guidance.
The clinic's comprehensive approach includes in-person consultations and convenient Telehealth support, making it easier for clients to access the help they need. Bodies By Design Weight Loss Clinic also provides weight loss prescriptions as a trusted source, emphasizing their commitment to the health and well-being of their clients.
Services Offered
Bodies By Design Weight Loss Clinic offers a variety of services designed to meet the unique needs of each client. These services include:
- Medically Supervised Weight Loss Programs: These programs are designed and overseen by medical professionals to ensure safety and effectiveness.
- Personalized Programs: Recognizing that each client has unique challenges and goals, the clinic offers personalized weight loss programs tailored to individual needs.
- Weight Loss Prescriptions: As a trusted source for weight loss prescriptions, the clinic provides access to medications that can aid in weight loss.
- In-Person Consultations: Clients can meet with counselors and medical professionals in person to discuss their weight loss goals and develop a plan.
- Telehealth Support: For added convenience, the clinic offers Telehealth support, allowing clients to access consultations and support remotely.
- 24/7 Support: Clients receive continuous support from knowledgeable counselors, ensuring they have the resources they need throughout their weight loss journey.
- Customized Compounded Medications: Providers offer access to customized compounded medications that are patient-specific and tailored to meet individual needs, based on unique health goals and medical history.
Medications Used
Bodies By Design Weight Loss Clinic utilizes several medications to support weight loss, including Semaglutide, Tirzepatide, and Liraglutide. These medications work through different mechanisms to help clients achieve their weight loss goals.
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Semaglutide
Semaglutide is a medication originally developed to manage Type 2 Diabetes. It was approved by the FDA in 2019 for diabetes and later approved in 2021 as Wegovy® for weight loss. It is also marketed under the brand name Rybelsus®.
How It Works: Semaglutide mimics a natural hormone in the body (GLP-1) that helps:
- Increase insulin to lower blood sugar.
- Slow down how fast your stomach empties, helping you feel full longer.
- Reduce appetite.
These effects can support weight loss by reducing calorie intake and increasing satiety.
Doses: 0.25mg / 0.5mg / 1mg / 1.7mg / 2.4mg
Tirzepatide
Tirzepatide is a newer medication developed to treat Type 2 Diabetes and support weight loss. It works by targeting two natural hormone receptors in the body: GLP-1 and GIP.
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How It Works: Tirzepatide helps with weight loss by:
- Slowing down how quickly your stomach empties, so you feel full longer.
- Reducing appetite and food cravings.
These changes can lead to reduced calorie intake and weight loss over time.
Doses: 2.5mg / 5mg / 7.5mg / 10mg
Liraglutide
Liraglutide is a medication originally made for Type 2 Diabetes. It's similar to Semaglutide and was later found to also help with weight loss.
How It Works: Liraglutide works by activating a natural hormone in your body called GLP-1, which helps:
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- Slow down how quickly your stomach empties, so you feel full longer.
- Signal your brain to reduce hunger and appetite.
This can support weight loss over time by reducing calorie intake and increasing satiety.
Doses: 0.6mg / 1.2mg / 1.8mg / 2.4mg / 3mg
Troches
Bodies By Design Weight Loss Clinic also offers Semaglutide and Tirzepatide in the form of troches. Oral troches are medicated tablets that dissolve in the mouth. They are typically placed between the cheek/gum and allowed to slowly dissolve. This bypasses the liver and allows the medication to go directly into the bloodstream.
Semaglutide Troches Doses: 0.25mg / 0.5mg / 1mg / 2mg / 2.5mg
Tirzepatide Troches Doses: 2.5mg / 5mg
The Science of Weight Loss: Amino Acid Deprivation and Metabolic Changes
Recent research has shed light on the role of specific amino acids in weight loss, particularly cysteine. Cysteine is not only a proteinogenic amino acid but also the limiting intermediary metabolite in glutathione (GSH) biosynthesis. It also plays a critical role alongside pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) in CoA synthesis. Studies have shown that cysteine deficiency can induce significant weight loss, triggering a coordinated mechanism involving the integrated stress response (ISR) and oxidative stress response (OSR), increased GDF15 and FGF21, and a reduction in CoA levels, resulting in metabolic inefficiency.
Cysteine Deprivation and Weight Loss
Experiments involving the removal of individual essential amino acids (EAAs) and cysteine from the diet of mice revealed that cysteine deficiency induces the most weight loss. In Cse knockout (KO; Cse−/−) mice, cysteine deprivation led to a 30% reduction in body weight within 7 days. This effect was not observed in heterozygous and wild-type (WT) mice, indicating that depletion of newly absorbed and synthesized cysteine is necessary for the weight loss effect.
Weight loss was completely prevented by supplying cysteine through either N-acetylcysteine (NAC) or GSH. Further studies showed that the weight loss was not due to defects in nutrient absorption or microbiota alterations. Even under thermoneutral conditions, cysteine deficiency resulted in the most pronounced weight loss compared to other EAAs.
Metabolic and Behavioral Assessments
Metabolic and behavioral assessments of Cse−/− and Cse+/− mice showed that cysteine deprivation immediately triggered weight loss in Cse−/− mice, with a 10% decrease over 3 days, compared with a 0% change for Cse+/− mice. There were no significant differences in locomotion and movement between the groups, indicating that the weight loss was not attributable to increased physical activity or lethargy.
The respiratory exchange ratio (RER) decreased from day 1 to day 3 in Cse−/− animals on a no-Cys diet, suggesting increased usage of fat as fuel. DEXA scans revealed a substantial reduction in fat content in Cse−/− mice on day 7 of the no-Cys diet.
Histological Studies
Histological studies of white adipose tissue revealed that Cse−/− mice deprived of cysteine exhibited higher fat loss from individual adipocytes by day 3, with near-complete depletion of fat content throughout the tissue by day 7. Caspase-3 staining showed no detectable adipocyte cell death, indicating that the fat loss was not due to cell death.
A notable proportion of adipocytes in Cse−/− mice on a no-Cys diet contained multiple small fat droplets instead of a single large droplet, resembling brown/beige adipose tissue. Immunostaining of the fat pad for UCP1 revealed robust browning of white adipose tissue. There was also a rapid loss of visceral fat in Cse−/− mice on a no-Cys diet.
Transcriptional Responses to Cysteine Depletion
Bulk RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis of liver, muscle, and adipose tissue revealed molecular responses triggered by cysteine deprivation. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis of genes upregulated in the liver of Cse−/− mice on a no-Cys diet showed prominent categories such as ‘cellular response to xenobiotic stimulus’, ‘GSH’, and ‘small molecule’ metabolic processes. The latter category revealed strong upregulation of genes associated with ISR, including amino acid synthesis and one-carbon metabolism, tRNA charging, amino acid transporters, and various stress-response genes.
The Role of Essential Amino Acids
The pioneering work of William C. Rose in 1937 identified nine essential amino acids (EAAs): histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Cysteine is also essential in animals with mutations in either cystathionine γ-lyase (CSE) or cystathionine β-synthase (CBS), enzymes of the trans-sulfuration pathway. Extensive research has examined the effects of removing individual EAAs, shedding light on their roles in metabolism, energy expenditure, and weight and fat loss.
Amino acid deprivation triggers the integrated stress response (ISR) through GCN2, which detects uncharged tRNAs and phosphorylates translation initiation factor eIF2α. Phosphorylated eIF2α suppresses general translation while promoting translation of the key ISR transcription factor ATF4 and its downstream targets, including FGF21 and GDF15.
The sulfur amino acid restriction (SAAR) diet, which combines low methionine and cysteine (Cys), increases lifespan and protects against metabolic diseases in rodents and nematodes. Research suggests that the benefits of SAAR are primarily driven by cysteine limitation.
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