An international team of researchers previously reported that the global obesity rate has more than doubled over the past 30 years. The situation is so serious that some experts are talking about a global obesity epidemic. Indeed, today every eighth inhabitant of the planet is overweight. The problem is aggravated by the fact that getting rid of extra pounds is not easy, and the absence of a «magic diet pill» and can even drive you into depression. And since obesity is associated with a number of health problems and is the fifth leading cause of death worldwide, a variety of weight loss options are growing in popularity. So, you've probably heard about the high effectiveness of drugs such as Semaglutide (Wegovy and Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Zepbound and Mounjaro), which help get rid of hunger and quickly get in shape. So what, «Ozempic» literally became a lifesaver for Hollywood stars, only this injectable drug was developed directly to combat type 2 diabetes, and its use should be under the supervision of a doctor. Let's figure out what the famous medicine is and whether it is possible to gain weight after stopping it.
There are different ways to lose weight, and one of the latest turned out to be in great demand. Image: media.glamourmagazine.co.uk
Contents
- 1 Does «Ozempic» lose weight?
- 2 Ozempic vs Wegovy
- 3 Is it impossible to lose weight forever?
- 4 Conclusions
Does «Ozempic» lose weight?
Ozempic is an injectable drug designed to control blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes. And although officially «Ozempic» is not a weight loss drug, numerous studies show that people taking it may lose some weight during treatment.
Moreover, Ozempic's active ingredient, semaglutide, is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in higher doses to treat people with obesity and other weight-related diseases, although under a different name – Wegovy.
Ozempic's active ingredient, semaglutide, is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. It activates GLP-1 receptors throughout the body and enhances the effects of the natural hormone GLP-1. Image: www.drugs.com
More on the topic: There are more than a billion obese people in the world
As stated on the drug's official website, Ozempic helps raise blood sugar levels in adults with type 2 diabetes and over time reduces hemoglobin A1C levels (a measure of blood glucose). Therapy with this drug is also believed to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The drug increases the production of insulin by the pancreas in response to food intake, which helps control blood sugar levels. In addition, it reduces the production of glucagon, a hormone that increases glucose levels. Essentially, Ozempic is an independent injection of semaglutide, which is given once a week,” explain the creators of the medicine.
It should be noted that Ozempic is not insulin, but a drug that helps the pancreas gland produces it when blood sugar levels are high and rarely leads to low levels.
Ozempic vs Wegovy
Although Ozempic is not specifically labeled as a weight-loss drug, studies sponsored by the drug's manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, show that people taking semaglutide may lose weight. And since the FDA approved semaglutide for weight loss under the brand name Wegovy in 2021, it contains a higher dose of semaglutide than Ozempic—2.4 milligrams of semaglutide in Wegovy compared to 0.5 milligrams, 1 milligram, or 2 milligrams of semaglutide in Ozempic.
In addition to affecting blood glucose levels and type 2 diabetes, semaglutide also affects weight by affecting hunger centers in the brain (particularly the hypothalamus), reducing hunger, appetite and food cravings, and slowing down food intake. emptying the stomach, effectively prolonging the feeling of fullness after eating.
According to American media reports, more than 25 thousand US residents take Wegovy for weight loss. Image: media.cnn.com
The end result is reduced hunger, prolonged satiety and, ultimately, weight loss. Ozempic, in turn, is approved only for the treatment of diabetes and is not a drug for weight loss, explain the creators of the drug.
Even though Ozempic and Wegovy are essentially the same drug (they just come in different dosages), high demand has seriously impacted the availability of Wegovy. As a result, since its inception, Wegovy has repeatedly turned out to be unavailable, which is why many people started using Ozempic for other purposes.
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This is where things get interesting – although taking semaglutide may help you lose weight during treatment, most people will gain weight again if they stop taking the drug.
Research suggests that stopping Ozempic completely will likely result in regaining most of the lost weight within a few months, says Rekha Kumar, medical director of Found's evidence-based weight loss program and a practicing endocrinologist at an academic medical center in New York City. York.
Can't you lose weight forever?
It turns out that stopping semaglutide will result in weight regain for most people. So are these drugs just another (expensive) form of dieting? Experts note that if you are obese, taking semaglutide may help your body shed fat, but it will not address the reasons why you gained weight, since obesity is a chronic and complex disease.
Thus, losing weight with the help of a newfangled drug can be compared to the treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure), which lasts a lifetime. It's the same with obesity – medications help, but only as long as you take them. Therefore, several simultaneous approaches are necessary, and medication is only part of a comprehensive therapy. In addition, as an undesirable side effect, stopping semaglutide may undermine other weight loss strategies.
Kim Kardashian does not hide the fact that she is losing weight on Ochempik. Image: i.dailymail.co.uk
Scientific studies show that between 6% and 13.5% of participants stop taking Ozempic and Wegovy, mainly due to side effects . But these studies do not take into account those who were forced to stop taking them due to cost or supply issues.
We don't know how many people have needed to stop taking the drug over the past few years for these reasons, so it's important to understand how stopping affects the body, experts say.
So what happens when you stop taking a trendy drug? Typically, it takes several days (or even a couple of weeks) for the substances to leave the body. What happens is that you start to feel hungry again because both your brain and your gut are no longer receiving the drugs that raise your blood sugar – meaning the drug is no longer affecting your pancreas.
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When Ozempic is used as directed, other medications will be needed to keep blood sugar levels within an acceptable range. Over the long term, most people experience a return to previous blood pressure and cholesterol levels. This means that after stopping the medication, the body begins to store fat.
Conclusions
Interestingly, the risk to the body associated with weight fluctuations is higher in people who are not obese. This should be a warning to those who are not obese but still taking semaglutide: the fear of gaining excess weight when stopping the drugs is valid and needs to be addressed directly.
You can lose weight by taking a trendy medicine. The main thing is not to dial it again. Image: media-cldnry.s-nbcnews.com
Because obesity has many causes and perpetuating factors, reducing weight loss requires using a variety of evidence-based approaches, including: healthy sleep, exercise and proper nutrition (nothing new, though).
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So, by taking Ozempic, you are likely to lose muscle mass and fat, especially if you exercise regularly and eat right. We also note that the stigma and shame associated with body shape and size cannot be cured by taking Ozempic. In a word, health, both physical and mental, is the most valuable thing we have, so you cannot take any medications without a doctor’s prescription.