The Ozempic Weight Loss Craze

Ozempic’s Original Clinical Purpose and New Popularity for Weight Loss

A look at Ozempic, how the drug works, its clinical purpose, popularity for general purpose weight loss, and some natural weight loss alternatives.

Source

Sources

1. Ozempic — What’s the truth behind the hype?
2. The Best OZEMPIC Alternative (Without the Side Effects)
3. Ozempic is a game-changer. Here’s how it works.
4. The Many Lies About The Ozempic Weight Loss Craze

The Growing Concern

According to the latest data from the National Institutes of Health, approximately 42% of adults in the US are currently categorized as obese. The CDC has identified several health risks linked to obesity, including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. These diseases are among the leading causes of premature death worldwide, emphasizing the importance of addressing obesity as a public health concern.

While not everyone living with type 2 diabetes is obese, the two conditions are closely linked. In fact, weight loss is a leading recommendation for managing type 2 diabetes. Even a small amount of weight reduction can significantly improve blood sugar management for individuals with diabetes.

What is Ozempic?

Ozempic (Semaglutide) is a drug approved by the FDA to manage type 2 diabetes and blood sugar. Individuals with type 2 diabetes often have insulin resistance and low natural insulin production. Semaglutide enhances the effectiveness of natural and synthetic insulin, leading to better blood sugar management.

The drug can also help severely obese people regain mobility and improve their quality of life. In clinical trials, Ozempic showed an average weight reduction of 15% compared to 2% with a placebo, matching the effectiveness of metabolic bariatric surgery like stomach stapling and without significant lifestyle changes.

Because of its weight loss effect, Ozempic has become a popular off-label weight loss drug. Because of its popularity on and effectiveness for Ozempic’s off-label use, new or rebranded medications are being fast-tracked for FDA approval.

Similar Drugs:

1. Victoza (Liraglutide) — Approved for diabetes patients, active for a day
2. Saxenda (Liraglutide) — Approved for weight loss, active for a day
3. Ozempic (Semaglutide) — Approved for diabetes patients, active for a week
4. Wegovy (Semaglutide) — Approved for weight loss, active for a week

The drug can now be prescribed for weight loss by a doctor, but the drug can be very expensive anywhere from $500 to $1,500 a month.

Some criticize that Ozempic’s widespread off-label use can potentially lead to shortages and put people who need the drug at risk. It also has the potential for abuse, as a healthy person might use it to become skinnier, but after stopping the injections, patients tend to gain back the weight again immediately, which has a negative impact on our fat or adipose tissue and harms the cells. Frequent changes in weight can cause the adipose tissue to harden, resulting in fibrosis, which can reduce the effectiveness of future weight loss interventions.

How Ozempic Works

When food enters the digestive system, the body releases glucagon-like peptide-1 GLP-1, which binds to receptors in various cells, promoting insulin production, suppressing glucagon production in the pancreas, and makes us feel full.

GLP-1 acts for just a few minutes, being rapidly broken down by the DPP-4 enzyme. To slow down that process, artificial GLP-1 is given a modified structure. Fatty acids are attached to the GLP-1 molecule, allowing it to bind longer to albumin, a transport protein, and preventing it from being immediately removed by the kidneys.

Ozempic is an artificial version of the natural hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1). It mimics the effects of GLP-1, tricking the brain into thinking that the stomach is full, reducing appetite and thoughts of food.

GLP-1 medications, such as Ozempic, work by slowing gastric emptying, reducing digestion speed, and suppressing hunger cravings in the brain, leading to weight loss and improved blood sugar management. The drug even improves the beta cells of the pancreas to help restore insulin levels, and even improve insulin resistance. It also helps a person stop making so much sugar, called gluconeogenesis, and also slows the breakdown of sugar in the liver.

Negative Side Effects

The risk-benefit ratio should be considered before doctors prescribe Ozempic and related drugs. Keeping healthy is more than just weight management, its also about having a good diet, exercising, sleeping, and mental health.

Ozempic has potentially various negative side effects, ranging from mild to severe. The minor side effects include nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain, headaches, gas, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, and dizziness. However, some of these side effects can be severe and potentially life-threatening.

Major Side Effects:

1. Thyroid cancer
2. Suicidal thoughts
3. Pancreatitis
4. Kidney disease
5. Retinopathy (damage to the retina)
6. Muscle loss
7. Gastroparesis (delayed emptying of food from the stomach)

Some side effects may not appear until three days after starting the medication, and they can persist for up to five weeks after stopping the drug.

Natural Alternatives

Certain herbs contain secondary metabolites, chemical compounds with therapeutic benefits. Despite their potential, these natural compounds are often overlooked in favor of patented pharmaceuticals. Ancient cultures, such as Chinese and Indian medicine, have utilized plants for centuries to promote health.

Over 400 phytonutrients in plants have shown anti-diabetic effects without the harmful side effects of synthetic drugs. Two notable examples are Panax ginseng and berberine, with berberine mimicking the effects of metformin.