Gastric Emptying
The rate at which the stomach releases food into the intestine — slowed by GLP-1 drugs, which extends fullness.
After a meal, the stomach meters its contents into the small intestine over hours. GLP-1 slows that metering, and GLP-1 medications slow it pharmacologically — the mechanical reason a modest lunch on semaglutide can satisfy until dinner, and the reason early-treatment fullness can tip into nausea when portions don't shrink to match.
Slowed emptying has practical edges: it blunts post-meal glucose spikes (good), it can delay absorption of some oral medications (worth reviewing with your prescriber), and anesthesiologists now ask about GLP-1 use before procedures because food lingers longer. The extreme, pathological version is gastroparesis — a distinct condition, not the routine drug effect, though the vocabulary gets blurred online.
This glossary entry is general information, not medical advice, and is written to be consistent with FDA prescribing information and primary trial publications as of its last review. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider for personal medical decisions.
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