Obesity is a chronic disease and a global health challenge. Although lifestyle interventions such as diet and exercise represent the cornerstone of weight management, sustaining weight loss long-term is a challenge.
The FDA approved the use of Semaglutide for chronic weight management last year and it has exploded in popularity over the past few months as celebrities and social media influencers have claimed that they’ve been able to rapidly shed weight while using them.
Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy (both brand names for the same active ingredient, Semaglutide) mimic a hormone that our bodies normally produce to make us feel full. Semaglutide is a prescription medication that is used as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. It is an injectable medication that works by helping to regulate glucose levels in the blood.
The treatments have been shown in studies to help medically obese people lose up to 15% of their body weight and keep it off. Because of these impressive results, some researchers believe these drugs could be a game changer in the ongoing struggle to control what is often referred to as the 'obesity epidemic'.
By offering a viable alternative to trend diets, ineffective weight-loss programs, and frequently dangerous pharmaceutical treatments that have long been at the center of weight-loss efforts, some experts believe these medications can help the obesity epidemic.
Others fear that the treatments could prove to be dangerous for people who are not medically obese that take them only to lose to look thinner, rather than to address health complications caused by their weight.
However, industry experts expect this new class of drugs to become a huge source of business in the next few years as more products gain approval.
I think these medicines may be the most widely prescribed medicine in the history of the world sometime in the next five to 10 years. … People should use these medicines with an appropriate diet and exercise plan, so I hesitate to suggest it’s a magic bullet, but I think in the long term, these medicines are going to be very accepted — not only for weight loss, but for improved health.” — Paul Kolodzik, Business Insider
The Semaglutide weight loss hype is an exciting development, but it is important to understand that this drug is not a miracle cure. It must be used in conjunction with a healthy diet and exercise plan in order to be most effective. It is also important to note that this drug may not be the best choice for everyone, so it is important to speak with a doctor before taking it.