Demystifying Ozempic as a weight loss drug of choice.

In the realm of diabetes management, the quest for effective treatment that not only controls blood sugar but addresses comorbidities such as obesity has been a long-standing challenge – until OZEMPIC..

What is Ozempic and why does it work?

Ozempic belongs to a class of type 2 diabetes management medication known as glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1Ras). By stimulating GLP1-receptors, Ozempic helps to enhance insulin secretions, suppress glucagon release, slow down gastric emptying and reduce appetite.

In everyday English: the drug acts like the plug that helps our bodies not to think our blood sugar is dropping, thus not triggering the response that makes our body to break down our food in our stomach in order to make get more glucose, leaving food sitting in our stomach to just sit there and chill, meaning we never quite become hungry. And If I’m not hungry, I don’t eat right?

Weight loss Benefits:

A few clinical trials have demonstrated that patients using Ozempic experienced weight loss ranging from 5-15% of initial body weight (over approximately 104 weeks, 2years), a milestone that has rarely been achieved with other diabetes medications.

So, what is the problem? Why are responsible healthcare providers hesitant to prescribe the drug.

1. There are still no long-term studies to tell us what happens to people who use Ozempic in the long run. So, unless you really need the drug, like in management of diabetes, you should maybe give Ozempic a skip.

2. While enhanced insulin secretions have a positive effect on weight loss in short-term. In the long run, without adequate dietary management persistently high insulin levels increases the risk of insulin resistance, (developing type 2 diabetes). Those who are already diabetic risk developing insulin dependent diabetes (requiring insulin injections).

3. Many people who struggle with weight management, also struggle with portion control and managing the amount of food they eat, purely because they seldom only eat when they are hungry, and being full is not motivation enough to stop eating.

4. Slowing down gastric emptying while not simultaneously reducing your food intake, only means you are stretching your stomach that will need more and more food to reach satiety.

5. A lady never shares her age, and more especially her weight. Without divulging my weight, 15,2% of my weight is 11.4kg weight loss over two years. That’s less than 500g a month. Not as drastic as you anticipated right?

6. Over prescription for non-medical reasons, reduces availability of this life saving drugs for those who actually need it.

I promise once we find a magic weigh loss pill, I will be first in line to tell you all about it. In meantime stick to the tried a tested weigh loss solutions:

• Consult a dietitian to help you determine your requirements and develop a weight loss plan most suited for you. Depending on your issues, Ozempic might still be a temporary solution while working on the long term problems.

• Give yourself time, it took you years to get to where you are, the change back won’t happen overnight. Quick weight loss is easy, sustaining quick weight loss is another story.

• Assess and address the psychological reasons that maybe behind your weight loss struggles.

You can do it, one bite at a time, one day at a time.

Lerato Radebe is a registered Dietician based in Johannesburg.