Ozempic for diabetes or as a weight-loss pill?

The search for the perfect weight-loss pill or injection has been going on for many decades. Due to the obesogenic environment we live in in modern times, it is almost impossible for much of humanity to achieve or maintain a healthy fat percentage.

After all, you have to be immensely strong to the temptations resist in a world full of highly processed food which is specially designed to release as many happiness substances as possible in the brain when you eat it. So that by no means do we always eat because of hunger, but because of mental needs. This is worse for some people than others, depending on genes, upbringing and hormonal balance.

If you don't put enough motivation and discipline against this to have a good average calorie intake maintain, you will easily gain weight. And once substantial excess weight has developed, it often becomes even more difficult, as you will experience more resistance both mentally and physically. How great then it would be to take a pill or an injection every now and then that will make you automatically eat less and lose weight.

Is Ozempic a dangerous hype?

One product that has attracted increasing attention because of this effect is Ozempic, a drug containing the substance semaglutide. Originally, this drug was developed for people with type 2 diabetes to better regulate blood sugar, but especially the side effect that it makes people lose weight quickly has not gone unnoticed, even among people who do not have diabetes 2.

For instance, it has become a hype on social media because of celebrities and influencers who have started using it to lose weight. Even on tiktok, the hashtag Ozempic has been trending for a long time, making even the youth talk about it. This is a worrying development, especially considering that drugs that 'force' the body to reduce calorie intake, as it were, can have short-term, but certainly long-term, side effects.

So a proper customisation assessment must be done by a doctor before a patient is prescribed a drug. Thereby, the trade-off will be different for someone with diabetes 2, where blood sugar is difficult to control. In that case, Ozempic may be able to lower blood sugar and sugar damage (measurable as HbA1C). This can significantly reduce the risk of dangerous consequences such as cardiovascular disease. In addition, losing weight is even more crucial for health for someone with diabetes 2 than for someone who does have good glucose management.

How does Ozempic work?

The active ingredient semaglutide in Ozempic is a GLP-1 agonist. So it stimulates the hormone receptor glucagon-like peptide 1, which has all kinds of effects such as:

• More insulin release (more uptake of glucose in body cells)
• Reduced glucagon release (releasing less glucose from body cells)
• Delay gastric emptying, slower blood sugar rise (slow rise causes blood sugar to spike less, but also means there will be fewer blood sugar dips after meals)
• Reduced appetite (more satiety, less cravings and thus lose weight)

Does Ozempic have any side effects?

Yes, because GLP agonists have more effects than those listed above and some effects are even unknown. In the body, everything is connected and if a hormonal knob is turned hard somewhere, this will generate effects throughout the hormonal system. This can be noticeable in the short term, but can also have long-term effects.

Known side effects (1) are:

• too low blood sugar (due to difficulty adjusting dosage)
• gastrointestinal problems (delayed gastric emptying, less stomach acid production, less bile).

In the short term:

• more risk of kidney problems (less urine production)
• gallbladder problems (slower emptying)
• greater risk of pancreatitis (boost exocrine pancreatic cells and production of insulin in beta cells).

Ozempic face and muscle mass loss...

Especially when Ozempic is used for a long time, chances are that you eat so few calories that you end up in a kind of predatory situation. In hormonal terms, this says you are catabolic too often (hormones like cortisol are then overactive). In the case of Ozempic use, I personally won't be surprised if the cortisol is extra high (not yet clear in studies). Indeed, there is less glucagon production by Ozempic.

Glucagon is the hormone that initially raises your blood sugar when it is too low by converting glycogen into glucose. In addition, glucagon gets help from cortisol to raise blood sugar. Cortisol raises blood sugar by breaking down proteins and when glucagon action is suppressed, the proportion of cortisol is likely to increase.

It is therefore striking how much muscle loss there is Among Ozempic users (2). More and more doctors are concerned about this. This makes it extra important to include strength training. Also, there seems to be in the face there is conspicuous emaciation, the now increasingly well-known Ozempic face (less fat, collagen, elastin in the skin of the face). Whether the muscle loss and Ozempic face is only due to low calorie intake (losing weight) or whether GLP-1 agonists make this worse still needs to be studied more closely.

Buy Ozempic?

Diabetes 2: Ozempic can be an effective drug to use in diabetes 2 to improve blood sugar regulation and reduce the risk of complications from sugar damage. Of course, diet and lifestyle modification in people with diabetes 2 can also do a lot and even reverse diabetes 2 in some cases (get into remission under proper guidance with doctor and lifestyle coach).

If diabetes 2 is too advanced and diet and lifestyle modification fail, Ozempic as a symptom controller is the best choices if you have to choose between two evils (less risk of diabetes complications, versus the risk of short- and long-term side effects). I am curious, though, whether the medical specialists will use this drug on a permanent basis. When the patient has lost considerable weight, sugar maintenance is likely to be better. Will the Ozempic dosage then be reduced? In any case, complementary healthy diet and lifestyle is recommended, and don't forget complaint training to inhibit muscle mass loss.

No diabetes 2: Ozempic alone to lose weight is an experiment fraught with risks given the many side effects that are already known now and are yet to be discovered through harm's way. There are no harmless panaceas or shortcuts. If you force the body with drugs, it will start working against you in the short term, but certainly in the long term. After all, the body does not want to be forced. Better to ask it kindly with a balanced diet, smart exercise programme and stress reduction. And to keep this up in our obesogenic environment, focus on maximising priority, motivation and discipline for healthy behaviour. And of course, you may ask for help with that from an expert, because this really isn't always easy....