Turning to social media trends like injecting Ozempic (a drug for diabetes) is not the smart way to combat weight issues. Obesity is a common and costly chronic disease with the serious health consequences for adults and children. The CDC reports that in the United States and worldwide, obesity is also associated with the leading causes of death, including deaths from diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer.
Despite the warnings and precautions, Ozempic and Wegovy have been touted on the Internet as a miracle diet drug. On TikTok alone, the hashtag #Ozempic has over 430 million views and growing. Injecting Ozempic has been said to cause one to shed pounds, but you cannot ‘hack’ your way into a healthy body. Good nutrition and an active lifestyle is the key to long term weight loss success.
Ozempic was not licensed for weight loss, but in 2021 the FDA approved semaglutide, its active ingredient, under the brand name Wegovy for chronic weight management in adults. While many seem to be hoping on this new weight loss drug, they may have overlooked the long list of warnings that the drug company as listed with a major call out to the potential of tumors!
This popular off-label use of a diabetes drug resembles the Mediator scandal in France. The drug was widely prescribed as an appetite suppressant. It was used for weight loss until it was linked to fatal heart problems of hundreds and pulled from the French market in 2009.
Many experts and nutritionists believe that the side effects of prescription medications that treat overweight and obesity outweigh the benefits. You can lose weight with a lifestyle program, rather than medication that is known to cause long term health issues, that changes your behaviors and improves your food choices as well as movement. A lifestyle program also addresses other things that cause one to gain weight, such as eating triggers, mindfulness, and not getting enough sleep.
If you’re interested in learning more about a plant-based diet to assist with weight management- Click to Apply! It’s important to understand how to plan your meals, shop for the healthy items, and monitor yourself in order to be successful in reaching your healthy weight.