Glucagon
The hormone that raises blood sugar and mobilizes stored energy — a target of next-generation triple agonists.
Glucagon is insulin's counterweight: secreted by the pancreas when glucose falls, it tells the liver to release stored sugar and promotes the burning of fat for fuel. GLP-1 drugs partially suppress it to keep blood sugar steady after meals.
Paradoxically, activating glucagon receptors is also a weight-loss strategy — not for its sugar effect but for its energy-expenditure effect, nudging metabolism upward. That's the third mechanism in "triple agonists" like retatrutide: GLP-1 for appetite, GIP for energy handling, glucagon for burn rate. Patients mostly meet glucagon in two contexts: as the emergency injection that reverses severe hypoglycemia, and as the reason next-generation drugs may outpace today's.
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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